Jealousy makes 'em fall
by HotelKatz
Summary: One of Skuld's plans backfires...
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Oh my goddess.

-oOoOoOo-

_Page 1_

_It wasn't suppose to happen. I didn't mean for things to go that bad. I was going to be sealed as a punishment, but it was argued that it would have detrimental effects on me instead of allowing me to contemplate what I did wrong, due to my age._

_The ones who handled my punishment decided to put me in something resembling a prison cell on Earth. I was allowed a diary to write my thoughts in. Precautions were taken so I couldn't use it in any spells._

_All I wanted was to make sure no one took Belldandy away from me. She... she was really happy with that guy. Why? He was a pervert! He was going to take her and Urd away from me._

_I didn't want to be alone! I didn't want you two to leave me like mother and father left us! I didn't want to be alone forever!_

_Things weren't suppose to go as bad as they did. I wanted to make him look a fool in from of Onee-sama. If he looked like a big enough fool, she might leave him and come back to me. He... he wasn't supposed to die..._

_All I did was sabotage Keiichi's bike so it would swerve and slow down. He wasn't supposed to do any last checks and tinker with it! I didn't mean for his bike to suddenly speed up and crash! I didn't mean to kill him!_

-oOoOoOo-

Before Skuld could write more, a welcoming voice called out to her.

"Hey squirt!"

Skuld immediately got up and ran over to Urd. She almost knocked over Urd in a hug-tackle.

"Urd! I didn't mean it! I didn't mean for him to die!" Skuld cried out, while tightening her grip on Urd.

"I know..." Urd replied, while hugging Skuld back. When Skuld realized Urd wasn't going away, she loosened her grip.

It was a few moments before anyone spoke.

"Does Belldandy hate me?" Skuld asked.

"Nah, she couldn't hate anyone. But don't expect her coming by anytime soon." Urd answered.

"Why?" Skuld asked while they both let go of each other.

Urd looked around the room, as if to find a exit.

"Your place here is better than I thought." Urd said.

"Urd?" Skuld said.

"On Earth, I'd try to smuggle in cigarettes for you. I'll try sneaking in Ice cream. How about that?" Urd said, while walking about.

"Urd..." Skuld repeated, starting to realize what Urd was doing.

"Dang, no TV... that's harsh. But I guess they were afraid of you turning it into a weapon or something..." Urd muttered while looking at the ceiling.

"Urd!" Skuld said in a loud voice, not quite shouting.

"Behave, and you might get time off for good behavior," Urd replied. "Oh, they gave you a diary, Sweet."

"Please Urd, Tell me! I can handle it!" Skuld shouted.

"Maybe you can, But I don't want to tell you." Urd said.

Skuld looked down.

"So Belldandy does hate me..." Skuld muttered.

Urd grabbed Skuld and shook her.

"Bell does not hate you! We're all are going through a tough time! So never think for a moment that Belldandy hates you!" Urd yelled. After she finished speaking, she stopped shaking Skuld.

"Then why isn't she here?" Skuld yelled.

Urd silenced Skuld with a glare.

"You want to know? Fine, I'll tell you." Urd said.

Urd took a few breaths before continuing.

"She had some trouble with bureaucracy that decides if human souls enter heaven. I want to believe she's just walking about, trying to calm down." Urd explained.

"You want to believe?" Skuld asked.

"The human soul office claimed there was a mix-up in the paperwork and sent Keiichi to to hell by accident." Urd continued. "Belldandy seemed to take the news well. But I could see the signs about Bell that others, even you, ignore."

"How did Belldandy take the news?" Skuld asked.

"She walked out of the office without saying a word after learning where the nerd is currently." Urd answered. "She was in a bit of a daze when she left the office."

"Why can't they get Keiichi back from hell?" Skuld asked.

"Hild asked for a eighth of our market share on Earth in return for Keiichi's soul." Urd answered.

"What the! It's like she doesn't want to give him up!" Skuld said.

"That's the point. She's up to something. And with Belldandy acting the way she is now, I'm worried that Belldandy might fall prey to whatever Hild has planned." Urd said.

"I forgot to ask, but how is everything with you?" Skuld asked.

"Eh, things are a bit rough for now," Urd answered, then she hugged Skuld. "If anyone tries telling you that I don't really love you, ignore them."

"Urd...?" Skuld muttered.

Urd quickly let go of Skuld.

"Just feeling impulsive. But seriously, I love you and so does Belldandy. Never forget that," Urd said."Now, I'm going to try to talk Belldandy into seeing you."

"Thank you." Skuld said with a smile, as she watched Urd leave.

-oOoOoOo-

While trying to find Belldandy, Urd ignored the looks of the other divinity. The tough ones were those that telepathically sent their thoughts. They seemed to increase in number lately.

_'Demon!'_

_'Hellspawn.'_

_'Defiler of innocent goddesses!' _

_'Fake goddess.'_

That last one ticked off Urd.

_'I am a real goddess, so who cares what you think? But if I do anything, Skuld might get a worse punishment.' _Urd thought to herself. '_Where are are you, Bell?'_

-oOoOoOo-

It took her some time, but she found Belldandy in one of Heaven's parks. Belldandy was sitting near a pond, looking in the water.

Urd was about to call out to Belldandy until she noticed Belldandy's face.

It was her face that scared Urd. Belldandy's face hid her rage so well. That horrible fake smile tricked all the gods and goddesses, except Urd. Urd knew Belldandy too well. It was only Belldandy's eyes that betrayed her. For the moment, Belldandy's eyes were not those of a kindhearted goddess, they were those of a mother bear who had lost her cub.

"Tea... I must simply go down to Earth and buy some tea. The little shop on the corner sold such wonderful tea and had the most darling teacups. Yes." Belldandy babbled.

Urd wasn't sure whether to stop Belldandy from going to Earth or to let her wander. Urd was afraid that Belldandy might let her anger loose on her. Urd wasn't afraid to sacrifice herself to save her family. But sacrifice herself to save Heaven with the way they had been treating her lately? Not a chance.

"Bell..." Urd managed to say.

Belldandy quickly turned to face Urd. It scared Urd enough to make her jump.

"Yes, Onee-san?" Belldandy said.

"C-could you pick me up some Sake if you visit Earth? You do pick out the best ones." Urd nervously said.

Belldandy's smile and her eyes turned warm. For the moment, Urd relaxed. Until she realized that Belldandy's smile would turn fake the moment she stopped facing Urd.

"I would be happy to, Onee-san." Belldandy said. Then Belldandy got up and left to go to Earth.

_'Looks like it'll be awhile before Bell will visit you, Skuld.'_ Urd thought to herself.

-oOoOoOo-

_In some cave on earth..._

"The next time thou openest thine eyes, the dark mas-" Mara said before she was interrupted by a voice.

"_Mara, I order you to return."_

"L-l-lady Hild, I was about to get rid of the goddesses who are with that human!" Mara cried out.

"_You are soooo out of date with their situation. He died and they went back to Heaven. What were you going to do, anyways?"_

Mara gulped.

_'I... never thought about the after-effects about my actions. I'M SO DOOMED!' _Mara thought.

"_Oh my, this should be good. Just remember, if you lie to me... I'll be... upset."_

Mara shivered.

"I... was about to use the Ultimate Destruction Program..." Mara reluctantly said.

"_..."_

"Please! I beg you! Be merciful!" Mara cried out.

"_Return to Hell and head directly to me. You are to ignore anything else. Oh, destroy that bottle before you leave. Can't risk letting someone use the Lord of Terror on my little Urd-chan."_

"I-I-I-I-" Mara stuttered before Hild interrupted her.

"_Just to let you know, every second that passes means you punishment gets worse."_

"Y-yes. Lady Hild." Mara said.

-oOoOoOo-


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Oh my goddess.

-oOoOoOo-

Keiichi opened his eyes. Everything was blurry and his body felt... off. It was like his leg fell asleep, but all over his body. What he could tell from his surroundings, it was white and there was a peaceful feeling coming from all over the room. The bed was even softer than he expected.

_'I guess I'm in a hospital. Better here than dead." _Keiichi thought to himself, as his vision started to clear a little. It was then he noticed that someone was in front of him.

"What happened?" Keiichi asked, hoping for an answer.

"Oh, not much." A familiar and welcoming voice answered.

"Urd! I am so glad to hear your voice, especially since my sight isn't quite good at the moment. I do have to ask, how long have I been out?" Keiichi said with a smile.

He heard Urd chuckle a little. His smile began to shrink a little.

_'Odd, that laugh seemed bit more mischievous than I expected. But maybe I've been out longer than I thought... I'm going to hate whatever pranks she has cooked up, aren't I?' _Keiichi thought with a slight frown.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Urd asked.

Keiichi crossed his arms and looked down, while he tried to remember. When it hit him, he looked up at Urd.

"I was competing in a race that Tamiya and Otaki were responsible for, and then my bike went out of control. Then I woke up here." Keiichi asked. "I'm curious though, where's Bell?"

"She is currently trying to deal with a big issue that came up. Don't worry, When it's settled, She'll be right by your side in no time. I do have to ask though, did you check your bike before the race?" Urd said.

"Yeah. A few things seemed loose here and there. There was also this part that either Tamiya or Otaki added. I took it out, but it seemed kinda incomplete." Keiichi answered. He shrugged at the last part.

Urd then took ahold of one of Keiichi's hands. Urd's grasp was kinder and gentler than Keiichi expected it to be. That worried him a little.

"Keiichi, I'm going to tell you a few things. I'm not going to lie or sugarcoat it. The news isn't very pleasant. I can tell you now or later. Which will it be?" Urd asked.

"Is it about Bell? Or is it about you or Skuld?" Keiichi asked

"No. It's about you." Urd answered. "Shall I tell you now? Or would you prefer to prepare yourself? It is kind of bad."

Keiichi licked his lips and took a few breaths.

"I'd like you to tell me now. Could you tell me what is the news?" Keiichi asked.

"You need to remain calm. Trust me, It'll make things easier to accept." Urd said. After a few seconds passed, she spoke again. "You didn't survive the crash."

Keiichi blinked a few times.

"But... then... how?" Keiichi trailed off. "Oh, I get it. This is one of your pranks, Isn't it Urd?"

"No, it's not one of Urd's pranks. She isn't that cruel" Urd replied.

It then hit Keiichi that the person in front of him might not be Urd. The other possibility was that Urd decided to speak in third person for laughs.

"You're... You're not Urd, are you?" Keiichi asked.

"No, I'm not Urd. I'm actually her mother. My name is Hild. It's rather sweet to know I can confuse one of Urd-chan's friends into thinking I might be her." Hild said, as she pinched Keiichi's cheek.

"So... So... So It's not a prank? I died? But it doesn't feel like I'm dead." Keiichi said.

"Your soul was put in a modified clone of your body. It'll last a lot longer." Hild said. "Even though you've been out for four weeks, I advise staying in bed for a few more days until your soul gets more used to the body."

"Four weeks?" Keiichi muttered to himself.

"Much like a car, it takes time to put together a new body." Hild replied. "You might have to go through some physical therapy. Like I suggested before, Try to remain calm. Some parts of your body are not fully connected to your soul and being stressed might make your stay here longer."

_'I guess it's better than being a ghost... At least I can come into contact with Bell.' _Keiichi thought, as he looked away from Hild.

A few moments passed before Keiichi spoke again.

"Can I see Belldandy?" Keiichi asked.

"It might be some time before you do. Your body and soul have to get adjusted to each another, for one. And Belldandy has some problems and issues to deal with before she can visit you. But make no mistake, Once she's dealt with those, she'll come running straight for you." Hild said, with a smile on her voice. "Don't worry, I'll make sure no one interrupts your time together."

_''Yup, definitely Urd's mom._' Keiichi thought.

"Tell you what, I'll go find out for you what Belldandy is doing and tell her how you're doing. How's that sound?" Hild asked, as she clapped her hands together.

"I'd like that. Thank you." Keiichi said with a smile.

"Ah, good then. I guess I should get going then." Hild said, as she got up to leave. "Oh! Before I forget, I should tell you that you have a guard, selected by yours truly!"

_'I can just imagine the look on her face. Probably that same smile Urd has when she gets other people's attention. I probably should stop comparing Urd and Her Mother.'_ Keiichi thought.

"Why do I need a guard?" Keiichi asked.

"Even here, there are still some beings who don't like humans, Human souls, Or anything Human related for that matter. Sad, really. They're as close-minded as the ones they hate." Hild replied with a shrug.

_'Even in Heaven, there are still xenophobic people. That's actually pretty disappointing.'_ Keiichi thought, as he saw Hild leave.

"Wait!" Keiichi cried out.

"Yes?" Hild asked, as she neared the door.

"Could you tell me who's my guard?" Keiichi asked.

"I can't tell you their name, Security reasons. But if you have to call the guard something, call them M for now." Hild said before she left.

_'Huh, I wonder what Bell is doing...'_ Keiichi thought, as he laid back.

-oOoOoOo-

Whispers and stares. Belldandy was like a ghost when she was in heaven. Skuld being all mopey. Urd was getting sick and tired of it all.

Thankfully, there were still a few people in heaven who still liked Urd for Urd. Even if one of them did have a head full of flowers from Urd's point of view.

Then again, that one did take care of one of Heaven's gardens. Perhaps that type of thinking helped them?

Whatever the case may be, she did regret not going to visit him more when she was younger. Then again, Musicians looked better to her than gardeners back then.

As she entered the garden, the smell of cake hit her.

"Hey, Lamington!" Urd cried out.

"Over here!" A voice cried back.

Urd then flew to where the voice came from. When she got to the the area where the voice came from, she was slightly pleased with what she saw. A man with long gray hair wearing robes sitting at a round table, eating cake with a blonde teenage-looking girl. The man had a peaceful look on his face, while the girl was cheerfully happy. Privately, Urd joked to herself that they were clones of Belldandy.

"Hi, Lamington. Hi, Flonne." Urd said.

"Greetings, Urd. I just brought out some cake. Would you like some?" The Long grey haired man asked.

"Yes, I would. Thank you, Lamington." Urd said as she sat down at the table. She then turned to the girl. "How are things with you, Flonne?"

"They're alright. I don't like how some of my former friends are talking about you. Some of what they said... It make feel a bit uncomfortable to think I was once friends with them." Flonne said.

"Well, If they make you feel that uncomfortable still, Then I guess It's a good thing you stopped being friends with them." Urd said.

"Remember the first lesson I told you, Flonne. No one is pure good or pure evil." Lamington said, as he took a bite of cake.

"So what cake was made today?" Urd asked, as she took some for herself.

"Why Lamington cake, of course." Lamington said with a smile.

Flonne giggled, while Urd laughed.

"I needed that." Urd said, as she shook her head.

"Glad to have helped." Lamington replied, while taking a bite.

"So Flonne, are you now Lamington's student or are you just hanging out still?" Urd asked.

"I'm now his student! My training started the other day!" Flonne happily said.

"Good for you!" Urd said, while giving Flonne a thumbs-up. Flonne's smile grew a bit bigger.

"I apologize for changing the subject and possibly upsetting you, but how is the situation with your sisters?" Lamington asked, knowing Flonne was going to ask sooner or later. He suspected it was still a touchy subject to Urd. If the question upset Urd, he'd rather be the one to ask than Flonne.

Urd slightly frowned.

_'She took the question better than I expected.'_ Lamington thought. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. He hoped for the former.

"Skuld is... Well, she's depressed that only one of her sisters is visiting her. Yesterday, she did mention that someone else was visiting her. When I get the chance, I'm going to go find out some info on them." Urd replied, while looking down. "Belldandy is spending more time on Earth. I'm half-tempted to join her."

"Something bothering you, other than what you said." Lamington said.

"It's Skuld's punishment. Normally for a punishment like this, the offender or their powers would be sealed for a while. But punishing her by imprisoning her like a human seems a little off." Urd replied, as she looked up.

"Maybe the almighty wanted her to see what Humans go through as a punishment?" Flonne asked.

"If that was the case, Her powers would be sealed off and she'd remain on Earth." Urd muttered.

"It is a little curious. I'll look into it and see what I can find. Would that be alright with you Urd?" Lamington asked.

"Nah, I can do it myself. Still...Two heads are better than one." Urd said, while taking a bite of the cake she nearly forgot she had.

"Is that a yes or a no?" Lamington asked.

"If you really want to help, Go ahead." Urd replied.

"Then I will." Lamington said with a smile.

"I'll help too!" Flonne said, while raising a fist.

"If you really wish to help, you can assist me with only certain task that I give you. I do not wish that you go off on your own investigation." Lamington said, with a serious look on his face.

"But I don't want to get in the way..." Flonne muttered.

"Nonsense. You're never in the way." Lamington said, with a brief smile on his face. "But promise me, that you won't go off on your own to investigate."

"But why?" Flonne asked, as she tilted her head in confusion.

"There's probably more here than we can see at the moment. He doesn't want you getting hurt." Urd said.

"What Urd said is true, Flonne." Lamington said. "Now then, do you promise only to investigate when you're with me?"

"Okay, I promise." Flonne said. Then she concentrated on her cake.

The rest of the conversation was mostly about Flonne's training.

-oOoOoOo-

After talking with Urd, Belldandy spent quite a bit of time on Earth. She still had enough vacation days to spend a few years on Earth.

A part of her wanted to forgive Skuld. She understood that Skuld wanted to protect her. She wanted to visit Skuld, let Skuld know that she still loved her. Perhaps if she talked to Skuld more in the past, then Keiichi might not have died.

Another part... was surprising cruel in what it wanted, in Belldandy's eyes. It wanted to cut off all ties to Skuld. Most of Heaven either glossed over her flaws or made her ashamed of them. Skuld was starting to become one of them. Another person who would either refuse to accept that Belldandy had flaws or make her feel bad for having them.

Keiichi loved her, flaws and all. Not once did he made her feel bad for not being perfect all the time.

Before meeting Keiichi, she did good deeds because it then meant she was a good person. After meeting Keiichi, She did good deeds because she wanted to. Whether it meant she was a good person or not didn't seem to matter as much as before.

She was currently sitting on a bench, overlooking a large pond in a park. What city, she didn't really know or care.

"I miss you, Keiichi..." Belldandy muttered quietly to herself. She looked down at the pond and sighed.

"Then you're probably going to like what I'm going to tell you!"

Belldandy quickly got up and turned around. A few feet away from the bench was Hild, smiling away. Belldandy glared at Hild.

"My, my, my. Whatever did I do to see this face?" Hild asked, with an innocent look on her face.

"Give him back. Give me Keiichi." Belldandy said, as she tensed up.

Hild closed her eyes, sighed, and slightly shook her head. She then opened her eyes and looked Belldandy right in the face.

"What will you give in return?" Hild asked, with a neutral look on her face.

Belldandy said nothing, but a look of hesitation quickly passed over her face.

"Ignoring that little outburst, would you like to hear what's happening with your little loverboy?" Hild asked. When Belldandy's eyes grew wide, Hild fought the urge to smile.

"Is... Is he alright?" Belldandy asked, fearing that Keiichi might be tortured.

"Do you agree not to report to Heaven with what I tell you? If you can't, I'll leave you to your thoughts." Hild replied. "This offer won't come again."

When Belldandy didn't reply for a few moments, Hild started to turn around.

"Wait! I agree!" Belldandy cried out.

When Hild smiled, Belldandy was filled with dread.

"Remember, If you break your word, there will be... consequences." Hild said, with the smile now showing teeth.

"I... I understand." Belldandy replied, while trying to calm down.

"He's perfectly fine. When his soul was assigned to hell, I decided to put it in a modified clone of his old body. He woke up earlier today, asking for you before anything else." Hild said.

"What modifications does the body have?" Belldandy asked, while pleased that Keiichi asked for her.

"Extended life, increased endurance, Nothing too major." Hild answered. "If you're pondering about breaking him out of Hell, give it up now."

"Why?" Belldandy asked.

"Several reasons. Care to hear them? Won't take long..." Hild asked.

"Yes, I would like to hear them." Belldandy said, with her eyes narrowing in either anger or contempt.

"Let's sit down, shall we?" Hild said, as she walked to the bench to sit down.

Slowly, Belldandy sat on the bench, glaring at Hild.

"Oh, stop that. I'm trying to be friendly." Hild said, as she waved it off.

"You asked for my silence. Is that friendly?" Belldandy asked.

"Fair enough." Hild said with a shrug.

"Why should I give up the idea of getting Keiichi out of his current location?" Belldandy asked.

"The body that Keiichi's soul currently resides in can't quite live outside of hell at the moment. He'd die on the first step out and his soul would go right back into Hell. But what of the gods and goddesses in Heaven? How would they treat your little boyfriend if he could go there?" Hild asked.

"They... they wouldn't mistreat him, if that's what you're implying..." Belldandy said, a little unsure of herself.

"_Really_? So the gods wouldn't see him as a obstacle in their path to you? So some of the Goddesses won't use him as a tool to hurt you?" Hild asked,as she turned to look at the lake.

"They wouldn't." Belldandy said, as she started to glare at Hild. "I would make sure of it."

"Face it, Bell. Keiichi is actually safer in hell than he is in heaven. Not by much, I'll admit that. If his soul were in heaven, it would be used as a stepping stone or target practice. You are placed on such a high pedestal, that _anyone_ you show the slightest bit of affection, they would be a target." Hild explained while pointing in the air. She then put her hand down and looked at Belldandy.

"I wonder... what would be greater, the misfortune Keiichi would get from the gods, or the happiness he would get from you?" Hild asked, with the tone of her voice implying they both knew the answer.

"It... it would not as bad as you say..." Belldandy muttered, while starting to look downward.

"His soul was sent to Hell by Heaven's bureaucracy, what do you think?" Hild asked.

Belldandy quickly turned her head towards Hild.

"It was a mistake! It could not have been on purpose!" Belldandy shouted, as she glared at Hild.

"Do you really believe that?" Hild said, as she looked Belldandy in the eyes.

Belldandy turned her head to look back at the ground and said nothing. A mix of fear, anger, and worry danced across her face.

"I'll make a small modification to our little deal, if you want." Hild asked.

"What would it be?" Belldandy asked, not looking up.

"Keep our discussions a secret and I'll continue to update you on Keiichi. Say about... every seven days, earth time?" Hild asked.

Belldandy slowly turned her head to look at Hild. There was a slight look of happiness on Belldandy's face.

"I accept." Belldandy answered. Hild nodded in response.

"Right about here would be a good spot to meet. See you in seven days!" Hild said, as she got up to leave.

"Wait" Belldandy shouted. "Could you tell Keiichi that I miss him?"

Hild smiled and nodded, before she vanished.

_'I will find a way to be with you, Keiichi...'_ Belldandy thought to herself. One task had appeared before her, find out what city she currently is in.

-oOoOoOo-

_In a large forest residing in Hell, while on a bridge overlooking a river full of fish..._

"Lady Hild, Why do I have to dress up like some cheesy guard and protect Keiichi?" Mara asked, when Hild had come back from talking with Belldandy.

"Because I put both trust and faith in that you'll do a good job. Or are they both misplaced?" Hild said, while not paying any visual attention to Mara and looking down at the water.

"No, No! I'll do a good job! Your trust and faith are not misplaced!" Mara quickly said as she dropped to the ground, bowing to Hild. "Please don't punish me!"

"Hn." Hild sounded.

Mara trembled. Until she realized Hild was too deep in thought to even decide a punishment.

"Lady Hild?" Mara asked, as she got up. After a while, she then decided to poke Hild. That got Hild's attention.

"Oh, I was lost in thought." Hild said, as she turned towards Mara. Hild started to smile, causing Mara to tremble once again.

"May I ask what were you thinking about?" Mara asked, with a bit of fear in her tone. _'Please tell me she's not in one of her playful moods!'_

"Alright." Hild answered.

A few moments of silence passed by.

"Well?" Mara asked, starting to get annoyed.

"You asked for permission to ask. You didn't actually ask." Hild answered with a smirk.

Mara resisted the urge to face-vault.

"Just what were you thinking about?" Mara asked, with her anger conquering her fear for the moment.

"Nothing you should worry about." Hild said.

Mara took a deep breath. Yelling at Hild will hurt more than help. Many beings in the past who did just that, would agree that it was a very bad idea.

"Is. There. Anything I should worry about during my guard duty?" Mara asked, through gritted teeth.

"I asked him to call you M." Hild replied. "By the way, he thinks he's in Heaven."

Mara blinked a few times.

"Isn't he in the Heaven's ambassador's suite? I guess that might be a good reason for him to think that..." Mara trailed off a bit. "I thought you'd tell him where he is?"

"He didn't ask." Hild said. She then started to walk away to nowhere in particular.

"What if he asks? What do I do then?" Mara asked, trying to follow.

"Tell him it's classified." Hild answered, as she began to walk faster.

"What about that deal with Belldandy! Don't you think you gave Belldandy a deal where she gives too little for what she wanted?" Mara asked, as she tried to catch up.

"Don't worry about it, Mara-chan. You should know I always have a plan or two up my sleeves. At least, that's what the rumors about me say, don't they?" Hild replied. She then teleported away.

Mara stopped and frowned as she looked at the ground. She then walked back to the bridge and let her mind wander.

_'Hild's mood wasn't that bad this time around, Guess I should be thankful.' _Mara thought to herself.

Eventually, she thought about the past few weeks. Sure, she was pleased when her job separating Keiichi and Belldandy was completed. And by one of Belldandy's sisters, no less! But Mara didn't like the humiliation she got from some of the other demons when it was discovered how the job was completed.

"I am not so incompetent that a goddess has to do my job for me!" Mara muttered to herself.

And now she had to guard Keiichi. One part of Mara didn't like the thought of protecting the guy who's wish wound up making her look incompetent. While another part of Mara didn't look forward to telling Keiichi the truth of where he is.

"He's like a stupid little puppy dog. I just know he'll make me feel bad when I tell him where he is. I just _know_ that my luck really is that bad." Mara said, while stomping away from the bridge. She then stopped. She now had a target for her anger.

"Senbei! Where are you, You lousy little-" Mara shouted.

"Senbei here!" Said a man dressed up like Michael Jackson, as he appeared next to Mara. Before Senbei could say anything else, Mara grabbed him by the throat.

"I don't know if you are responsible for any of my recent luck, but I don't care." Mara said, as Senbei struggled. "I... I'm going to take all of my wraith out on you. If you even think of retaliating or escaping, I will make it much worse. Do you understand?"

Senbei quickly nodded. His fear increased when Mara's frown turned into a evil smile.

"Be gentle to Senbei, Mistress!" Senbei begged, when Mara loosened her grip on his throat.

Mara cackled in response.

-oOoOoOo-

When the realization that trying to protect Belldandy may have driven her away for good had fully hit Skuld, it was a heavy one. Never had Skuld cried so much.

One seemingly good thing that happened was that Urd stopped trying to argue and fight with her. Lately though, Skuld began to miss that, and Urd told her that she missed it too. Both suspected the visits would be put to stop if they fought.

Skuld was glad that Urd came to visit every day. But Skuld did have another visitor, who came every day as well. Her name was Elsee. She was roughly about the age of Skuld, and was also a second class goddess. Elsee smiled a lot, and liked the firetrucks on Earth. While she did like meeting another goddess who had an interest in machines, Skuld felt Elsee was a bit like an overgrown kindergartener.

"Hi Skuld-chan!" A brown-haired, pony-tailed teenage girl said as she entered.

"Hello, Elsee. How are you?" Skuld said with a sad smile.

"I saw a few more firetrucks during a low level view." Elsee said as she showed her childish drawings of them. "How are things with you?

"I'm getting better. I still wish Belldandy would visit." Skuld said, as she sat on her bed. Elsee sat beside her.

"I have a feeling that Belldandy will see you soon. I don't know when, But I like to believe it would be sooner than later." Elsee said, with a smile reminiscent of Belldandy's.

Skuld's smile turned a bit happier.

"Yeah, it wouldn't do me any good to be completely miserable if she comes." Skuld said.

"When she comes. Choose the happier possibility." Elsee said.

"I'm being realistic. It's not always happy." Skuld pouted.

Elsee hugged her.

"Even if they aren't realistic, happy possibilities give hope." Elsee replied.

"Wouldn't after awhile, hope would start to hurt me more than it would help me?" Skuld asked, with a frown and not even acknowledging the hug.

"If Belldandy is as kind-hearted as everyone says she is, She'll forgive you one day." Elsee answered.

"I'm kind of responsible of killing the guy she _may_ liked. I wouldn't be surprised if she never talked to me again." Skuld said, still not liking the fact Belldandy had those feelings for a guy.

"She'll forgive you. I promise that." Elsee said.

"How?" Skuld asked.

"Just a feeling, Like I said before." Elsee said as she let go of Skuld. "But enough of that, I don't want our talks to ever end on such a negative note.

Skuld smiled and nodded her head.

"Yeah, I agree with you there. Lately, I've been depressed for the both of us" Skuld replied. "I think I might have a few designs for a possible firetruck..."

The rest of the conversation was mostly about nothing in particular.

-oOoOoOo-

Author's note on December 13, 2013 – Edited a little detail about Keiichi's body during the Belldandy-Hild discussion. Changed it from unable to live outside of hell to Unable to live outside of hell at the moment.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Oh! My Goddess. Nor do I want to.

* * *

><p>A day later, Hild brought in a guard for him. His eyesight was still kinda bad. The guard kinda looked like a grey-colored blob.<p>

"Keiichi, this is your guard. She'll also help you with you physical therapy. I'll talk to you later, My job doesn't give me much time to dillydally." Hild said before leaving.

Keiichi and his guard stared at each other.

"Um, Hello, I'm Keiichi Morisato. What's your name?" Keiichi asked.

"I'm Mar- I mean, My name is... Marlow. Yeah; that's it." the Guard said. _'Get your head in gear, Mara! You nearly blew it!'_

"I do have to ask, are you wearing a helmet?" Keiichi asked. The guard leaned in closer. She was wearing a grey helmet covering their head, save for a hole in the shape of a T, only showing their eyes and mouth. The clothing was kinda bland and grey.

"Yes, I am. Lousy little punk..." Marlow said, as she walked away.

"Did I insult you?" Keiichi asked.

"My last job had a lot of failures." Marlow said. If Keiichi didn't know any better, he could say he felt her glaring at him.

"Sorry for bring up bad memories." Keiichi said, while looking away.

"Let's just ignore it." Marlow said.

"Alright." Keiichi replied.

"Do you need any help eating?" Marlow asked.

"A little. A few nurses had helped me yesterday, just wish they didn't have to treat me like a baby." Keiichi muttered.

"Well, you do have bit of a baby face. Guess they couldn't resist." Marlow said, as she picked up the food tray. She picked up a spoon and began to feed Keiichi. "Now hwere cwomes the air pwane!"

"Hah hah." Keiichi said in an annoyed tone while trying to glare.

-oOoOoOo-

Belldandy was heading towards her room, but had decided to take a detour into park that was overlooking a waterfall.

She pondered the deal she had made with Hild. Hild wasn't requesting any info from Belldandy, just silence. It seemed like a good deal, so why was she feeling guilty? Belldandy shook her head.

_'The deal is the closest I can get to Keiichi for now. I will figure out a way to rescue him.' _Belldandy thought.

She looked at the waterfall and noticed a entrance beside it

_'It seems like they finished the restaurant inside the cliff. Perhaps Urd, Skuld, and I should... Wait, Skuld is being punished. Both by heaven and by myself.'_ Belldandy thought, while she looked down at the ground for the last part.

Holy Bell then appeared and narrowed her eyes at Belldandy. Not wanting to attract any more attention, Belldandy sent her thought to Holy Bell.

_'She killed Keiichi.' _Belldandy thought to Holy Bell.

Holy Bell's reply was,_ 'It was an accident. She intended to embarrass him.'_

_'Regardless, I should have realized Skuld hated Keiichi.' _Belldandy sent to Holy Bell.

'_Skuld was afraid of you abandoning her for Keiichi. You wanted to believe the best of everyone, and hoped you would be able to help her learn to accept other people besides us.' _Holy Bell sent back.

'_That race... if it never occurred, I would still have Keiichi.' _Belldandy thought.

_'Could you at least try to visit Skuld and let her know you still care?'_ Holy Bell sent.

_'When... when I have enough self control to.' _Belldandy sent back.

_'You're being a coward.'_ Holy Bell replied.

_'Breaking down wouldn't help her, nor would it help me.'_ Belldandy sent.

Seeing that the conversation wasn't going well, Holy Bell sent, _'We'll talk later.'_ Then Holy Bell went back into Belldandy.

_'Going here wasn't very calming' _Belldandy thought to herself.

-oOoOoOo-

Urd passed by a young girl who had been leaving from the direction of Skuld's prison.

_'Good to see that Skuld has some friends her age.'_ Urd thought.

"Are you Urd?"

Urd stopped and turned to face the young Girl.

"Yes." Urd answered. Urd then took a closer look at the girl. "Are you Elsee?"

"Yes." The girl said with a nod.

"Thank you for visiting Skuld. I'm sure she appreciates it." Urd said.

Elsee smiled at that.

"Well, I'm going to go see Skuld. Have a nice day." Urd said as she began to leave.

"I have one question before you leave. Is it alright I ask it?" Elsee said.

Urd stopped and said. "Go ahead."

"Why hasn't Belldandy visited Skuld?"

"That... That's a little too much of a personal question. See ya." Urd said before leaving. She had been shaken up a little by that question. _'That's it. I'll go talk to Bell later and give her a time limit before I force her to visit Skuld. Bell has to stop acting like a child and visit Skuld.'_

-oOoOoOo-

Urd entered Skuld's room.

"Hey, brat. I believe I met your friend Elsee." Urd said

"She's alright, but I'm not sure why she's visiting me." Skuld said, as she sat on her bed.

"Didn't you know her before?" Urd asked.

"No." Skuld said. "Has Belldandy said she'll visit me?

"I'm going to talk to her later about that." Urd said. "Gonna give her a time limit before forcing her to."

"Don't be too hard on her." Skuld asked.

"I won't hurt her... too badly." Urd said. She looked away from Skuld when she said the last two words.

"Urd!" Skuld shouted.

"Skuld, Bell is letting her grief consume her, as well as letting it destroy our family." Urd said.

_'Do you really mean that?'_ Skuld thought. "Alright, Urd... Just don't lose control of yourself..."

"Hey, I'm Urd, the goddess of love. No way, I'll lose control." Urd said with a smile.

"If you can, can you get few schematics?" Skuld asked.

"Sure, any particular ones?" Urd replied.

"Surprise me." Skuld asked.

"Now that's a fun one." Urd said.

"I don't want any perverted ones!" Skuld said.

"I'll see what I can get." Urd said.

-oOoOoOo-

Urd's talk with Skuld had proved entertaining and it helped boost both their spirits.

A quick location finder spell told Urd that Belldandy was wandering around one of Heaven's parks.

Urd then teleported in front of Belldandy, who was sitting on a bench

"We need to talk, Bell." Urd said.

"It might not go well." Belldandy said.

"Doesn't matter. We're family. And speaking of family, you've been neglecting a member of it." Urd said, with a glare.

"I... I have my reasons." Belldandy said.

"Then enlighten me of them." Urd replied, sitting down on the bench beside Belldandy.

"I should have realized Skuld was having problems with accepting Keiichi." Belldandy muttered.

"You hoped she was mature enough to grow past it." Urd said, with a tone of sadness in her voice.

"If it weren't for that race..." Belldandy said, with some anger and regret in her voice.

"You weren't able to see it coming, I couldn't either. Taking it out on Skuld will not help anyone." Urd interrupted.

Belldandy said nothing.

"Look, we could go all day with this. If you don't visit Skuld by the end of two weeks from now, I'll drag you down there myself to see Skuld." Urd said, with a tone that was as hard as steel.

"I'll... I'll try..." Belldandy said, looking down at the ground.

"Just remember... Don't even think of try to get out of it." Urd said, before leaving the park.

-oOoOoOo-

_At Megumi's apartment, around the evening..._

Megumi was putting on a pair of clothes after she was done taking a shower.

When she was done, Megumi sat down on a chair and laid back, still feeling depressed after all this time.

"I still miss you Kei..." Megumi said, tearing up a bit. '_Always thought you'd be there. Never once did I ever think that one day you'd be gone...'_

She then picked up a nearby photograph. It was of herself, Keiichi, Belldandy, Urd, Skuld, and the Auto club. Taken just before the race.

Megumi grew a tiny bit angry when she glanced over Belldandy and her sisters in the photo.

"Still can't believe that they left almost immediately when the funeral was finished. Your idiot friends, Tamiya and Otaki, had been bugging me about when they'll show up again. Thank god that Chihiro lady showed up yesterday and stopped them from bugging me. She actually had quite an interest in you when she was told about some of the races you were in." Megumi said, hoping somehow that Keiichi would hear her.

Megumi then hugged the picture and wept.

The Earth guardian spirit was watching over Megumi wished that he could do more to help Megumi.

Megumi soon fell asleep and began to dream back to that horrible day.

* * *

><p>Megumi was at the sidelines, ready to offer moral support.<p>

Keiichi was talking with Belldandy. Megumi looked around.

Urd was using her looks to get some guys to buy her a few drinks.

_'I heard that Bell had another sister come along. Going by what Urd told me about her, I bet she is a self-proclaimed tech genius.'_ Megumi thought. 'W_hat was her name? Skuld?'_

Tamiya and Otaki were giving the rest of the Auto club some speech that no doubt used the word "manly" in ways it wasn't meant to be used.

A short while later, Megumi saw a long, dark-haired, teenaged girl with similar face marking as Belldandy and Urd. Megumi was surprised by hate in the glare the girl had when the girl spotted Keiichi and Belldandy. The girl then rushed over and put herself between Keiichi and Belldandy, nearly shoving Keiichi away.

"Guess I should go check the bike one last time before the race starts." Keiichi said, going off to do so.

"Big sis, let's go find a seat and watch." the girl said.

Belldandy smiled and said, "I'll see if I can get Tamiya and Otaki to let you stay with me for the time being, Skuld."

_'So that's Skuld... She acts a bit younger than she looks. Guess I can chalk it up to being separated from Belldandy for some time.'_ Megumi thought.

Megumi then went off to see Keiichi. When she caught up to him, he was putting something on a table. A closer inspection made her think it was some device that looked like it was taken out of a remote controlled toy.

"What's up Kei?" Megumi asked.

"Nothing much. I think Tamiya and Otaki put some device to help me on the motorcycle. Dunno what it could do, though." Keiichi said. "Or it could be another plot of Aoshima's to embarrass me and try to drive Belldandy away from me."

"Are you suggesting that the local slimeball would reduce himself to using some plan from a cartoon show, just to embarrass you?" Megumi asked, raising an eyebrow and smiling a bit. "Cuz it sounds a little paranoid to me."

"He had some thugs smash up the vehicle in one of the last races. I wouldn't put it past him." Keiichi said.

"Whatever. I'm just glad you stopped trying to date that Sayoko chick you talked about in your letters to home." Megumi said, glancing over the device on the table. "You and Bell go along with each other far better."

"Yeah... I think so, too." Keiichi said. "Anyways, I got the thing off the motorcycle. It shouldn't cause any problems."

-oOoOoOo-

A short time later, Keiichi was on the motorcycle, ready and waiting for the starting signal.

Megumi and Belldandy smiled. They had a good feeling about this race. Though there was that nagging doubt in the back of Megumi's head. About what, she didn't know.

A quick glance at Skuld let Megumi see that Skuld had her arms crossed and in her sleeves. Skuld was even frowning.

_'I guess she doesn't like the fact her big sis has her eye on a guy.'_ Megumi thought.

The race then started.

It seemed to go well, until Belldandy noticed Keiichi looked a bit worried. The glance at his eyes told her the controls were responding well.

Then the motorcycle sped up far faster than Belldandy knew it could.

It was hard to tell which was louder, the crash or Belldandy's scream.

* * *

><p>Megumi quickly awoke from her nightmare.<p>

She began to catch her breath after a few moments.

Megumi walked over to the phone and began to dial a number.

When the sound let her know someone picked up the phone on the other end, Megumi then said, "Hi, Chihiro. It's Megumi. You have some time free?"

"Yeah. Need me to come over?" Chihiro asked.

"No, no... Maybe... I don't know..." Megumi trailed off.

"I'll be over as soon as I can. Want me to pick up anything on the way?" Chihiro asked.

"I have something in the oven." Megumi answered.

"What is it?" Chihiro asked.

"I'm trying something new. Scalloped potatoes or gratin or whatever it's called." Megumi said.

"Huh. Well, do you mind if I pick up something for us to drink? It kinda sounds like you need it..." Chihiro replied.

"It's up to you..." Megumi muttered.

"I'll be along shortly. Don't do anything stupid, you hear me?" Chihiro said.

"Gotcha. No running with scissors or voting space emperors into local political office." Megumi said with a slight grin.

"Heh. Good to hear you're cheering up a bit. See you in a little bit." Chihiro said.

"See you when you get here." Megumi said, before hanging up.

-oOoOoOo-

A few hours after Urd left her, Belldandy was in Asgard's libraries, looking at a few of the treaties with Niflheim.

_'Is there anything here that can help me?'_ Belldandy thought, as she read through a document written about 500 years ago. It was on what could or could not be used as rewards for various events.

Her eyes stopped on a particular section. She held her breath and hoped that she was not seeing an illusion or a misprint. After re-reading it a few dozen times, A bright smile appeared on her face once again.

"I think... I think I will go see Skuld." Belldandy said, feeling like nothing could go wrong. She put back the treaty, intending to go back to it after she visited Skuld.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Sorry for the lateness. My Muse kept coming and going for the past few months.<p>

Author's note on December 13. 2013 – Corrected a problem that someone pointed out to me. I written Elsee's name as Elise in this chapter for some reason.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Oh my goddess.

-oOoOoOo-

Skuld was re-reading and double-checking some manuals when she heard a knock at the door and the someone stepping in.

_'Urd's back already?'_ Skuld thought.

"I am sorry that I took so long, Skuld." A voice said. It was the one voice Skuld had wanted to hear again after so long.

Skuld took a breath and slowly turned to face the person. She dared not even pray, worried that she might jinx the situation somehow if she did. When Skuld saw Belldandy, Skuld had a mix of happiness, sadness and fear show on her face.

"Big sis!" Skuld cried out as she got up and ran to Belldandy. When she got close, Skuld hugged Belldandy as hard as she could.

Belldandy hugged Skuld back. Skuld then began to cry.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please don't leave me again! I won't do anything that bad ever again!" Skuld said, as her tears flowed.

Belldandy began to hum a song and began to gently rock Skuld back and forth. It was a song that Belldandy used to sing to Skuld to put her to sleep.

Skuld faintly recognized the song. It helped calm her a bit, but let her know that Belldandy forgave her, even if it was just a little bit.

-oOoOoOo-

One of the gods who was in part of the negotiations to retrieve Keiichi from Hild's grasp was waiting outside of the office of the almighty.

His name was Porunrun. He wore a light blue robe that was reminiscent of a friar monk's robe, but was a bit too stylized from all the extra designs on it. Most were triangles and were looping around the robe.

He tried a few times to look around for a cute secretary to flirt with, but the Almighty opted for using autonomous angel sentries for secretaries. They were no match for the beauty of a real angel, in Porunrun's opinion. The autonomous angel sentries were bound to an area, rather than a person and were rather protective of the area. They also seemed to either have no clue of flirting, or very selective of who they flirt with.

Porunrun wanted to convince the Almighty to give up on trying to get the human that Belldandy loved back from Hild. He felt that anything from the humans' planet dirtied someone like Belldandy.

"Enter, Porunrun." a booming voice said.

Porunrun smirked and headed in. The secretary flipped him off when he wasn't looking. She then went back to overlooking the files that The Almighty gave her to sort. He had asked her to sort them in order of importance and to put the ones about Skuld near the top.

When Porunrun entered, he said, "Father, I have a question."

"Ask away." Tyr said, sitting at a desk filled with paperwork. He put down a paper he was looking at to talk with Porunrun.

"Why? Why so much effort into trying to get this one soul? Can't we just forget about him?" Porunrun asked.

A moment of silence passed. Just about everyone in Asgard subconsciously felt a mere ping of Tyr's anger.

"Just one soul? Is there anything just as important? Isn't even one soul worth all this effort...and more?" Tyr said, as he gestured to all the paperwork of various activities around Earth. Porunrun guessed that Tyr was looking to see what energy shares he would allow the demons to have in return for Keiichi.

"As it's been said before by many beings, Don't the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few?" Porunrun asked, a bit nervously.

"Then perhaps I should trade you for the human's soul?" Tyr asked, in an annoyed tone.

"What are you saying?" Porunrun asked, not quite believing what the Almighty was suggesting.

"Belldandy, Urd, and Skuld want Keiichi here with them. You don't want him here. There's more of them than there is of you." Tyr said, crossing his arms. He then was tapping his fingers against his arms.

"No! No no! What you're doing is fine!" Porunrun said.

"Go calm yourself. Perhaps you might think a bit more clearly... With a bit less hate." Tyr said.

"Yes, your Almighty-ness." Porunrun said, as he left.

Once Porunrun closed the door, Tyr sighed as he leaned back in his chair. After glancing at a photo of the day Skuld was born, he picked it up. He may have put a few important meetings on hold that day, but he wasn't going to miss the day of his youngest daughter's birth.

_'I may have spent your entire childhood being the Almighty instead of being your father, but I will not let your girls down anymore. I chose to punish you in a way that wouldn't let you be sealed, Skuld. I felt that if I had left you received the normal punishment, your relationship will Belldandy might forever be severed.'_ Tyr thought as he stared at the photo of him, Urd, Skuld, Belldandy, and Frigga. Even though she was Belldandy's and Skuld's mother, Frigga had thrown herself into work as well.

Tyr then thought of Hild. He had been surprised to learn that during the time she had raised Urd, Hild had made sure to split a part of herself off to be Urd's mother. That detail had made Tyr feel guilty. Hild worked in a place of potential backstabbers all around her and he worked in a place that was filled with people he knew he could trust. And out of the two of them, Hild was far more willing to to take the risk of being a parent and keep things in order on her side. Admittedly, Hild was a bit of a selfish parent who might rip out an angel out of Urd later in life, Tyr reasoned.

Tyr sighed. He had wanted to go be a father, but the duties of the Almighty came first. Had there been no rule about The Almighty and Daimakaicho dying when they stepped down from office, he might have done so in a heartbeat.

Tyr regretted the fact he never split a part of himself off to be a parent like Hild had done. He was too worried of a possible backdoor computer access to Yggdrasil through an low-powered part of him by enemy agents. When Skuld had started to enter puberty, Tyr felt the heavy guilt of letting all of his offsprings' childhood pass by him while he was protecting them.

Tyr's secretary then called.

"Lamington is here as you requested." she said.

"Ah good! Send him in!" Tyr said, putting down the photo.

Lamington then entered and asked, "What may I do for you, Tyr?"

"You can start by helping me look through these papers and choosing which energy shares we can trade for a human." Tyr said, as he gestured to the papers.

Lamington smiled and nodded, as he sat down and began to help Tyr look through the papers.

-oOoOoOo-

When Skuld woke up, Belldandy was still there and hugging her. Skuld remained silent, not wanting to risk ruining the situation.

"Skuld... I'm sorry..." Belldandy said, looking away away from Skuld.

"It's my fault, Big sis. I should have not let my anger and hate control me." Skuld said.

"I let my darker feelings control me as well..." Belldandy said. "And in doing do I nearly lost you as family."

"You never would have lost me, big sis." Skuld said, looking up.

"Perhaps... Perhaps not..." Belldandy replied. "But I will be here for you from now on. I'll even try to get Father to reduce your sentence."

"Thank you Big Sis!" Skuld cheered, tightening her hug. "It's just like what Elsee said!"

"Elsee?" Belldandy asked.

"She comes around every so often to visit me." Skuld said.

"Well... Do you know when She'll be visiting you next?" Belldandy asked.

"Why?" Skuld asked.

"I'd like to see and thank the person who's been keeping one of my sisters happy." Belldandy said with a smile.

"Around noon..." Skuld replied.

"Will it be alright if I come then to see her?" Belldandy asked.

"That'd be great! Skuld said with a nod.

"Since you can't use magic at the moment, would you like to learn some physical self-defense moves that I know?" Belldandy asked. Skuld nodded vigorously. With a smile, Belldandy began to teach her.

-oOoOoOo-

The guard outside was curious about what Belldandy was doing, so they glanced in.

_'Ah good. Too many divine beings ignore physical combat training. Then they get into a situation where Magic is either unusable, unavailable, or simply not the best option.' _The guard thought. _'I'll report what's happening after my shift is done. Maybe us guards will be allowed to teach Skuld a few moves, if we can claim it'll help her keep her calm? I doubt it'll hurt anyone.'_

The guard then picked up a nearby magazine and began to read it.

_'Kinda wish that we could have someone go to Earth and grab some manga every so often. Heaven's Magazines are getting a bit too samey to me. Blechh.'_ The guard thought as they tossed the magazine away. Having nothing better to do, the guard watched Belldandy and Skuld as they practiced.

-oOoOoOo-

Urd was checking a computer during her break from her job as Heaven's Sysop.

On a whim, she checked the location of Belldandy.

_'Thank god... I was worried that your hate would have consumed you, Bell...'_ Urd thought as she leaned back a bit and let out a single tear in relief.

After taking a few breaths to calm down, Urd ended her break and went on her shift.

-oOoOoOo-

_A week later..._

Belldandy had continued to meet with Skuld as much as she could during the week. Once she had figured out what the guards were planning, Belldandy helped them get permission to have some training for Skuld for a few reasons, both help curb Skuld's temper and to make her feel less lonely.

When the day came for Belldandy to go meet Hild at some fancy restaurant Hild had chosen for their meeting...

"...And he's doing quite well with the whole 're-learning how to walk' thing. He's quite determined, once he has his mind set on something. I kinda like that in a person." Hild said. "I must say, I'm a little jealous of you."

"Hild... I have something to say after we leave the restaurant." Belldandy asked.

Hild stared as if she were studying Belldandy. The longer she did this, the more nervous Belldandy got.

"Why not here?" Hild asked, in a flat tone.

"Because I don't want to wreck anyone's meal here." Belldandy said.

Hild nodded slightly with a smile, as if to say to Belldandy, _"This oughta be interesting..."_

-oOoOoOo-

After Hild And Belldandy left the restaurant, Belldandy led Hild to a nearby alley.

"Well... What is it?" Hild asked.

Belldandy took a breath and it seemed to make her nervousness disappear.

"I challenge you for Keiichi." Belldandy said, with a determined look on her face as she stared Hild in the eyes.

Hild stepped back in shock for a moment,but regained her composure and smiled.

-oOoOoOo-

Author's note on December 13 2013 – Changed the name Odin to Tyr.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Ah! My Goddess, Disgaea, or The World God Only Knows.

-oOoOoOo-

"Well, Bell..." Hild said, before gesturing to the alley they were in. "Shall we continue to talk here or somewhere else?"

"Here is fine," Belldandy said, growing more confident.

Hild's smile lessened a bit as Belldandy's current body language was reminding her of Odin, when he was doing something that he believed was right.

"Well, Bell, I do have to say, it's been awhile since one of the divine directly challenged me for a human soul," Hild replied as she crossed her arms.

Belldandy said nothing, causing Hild to sigh.

"Oh, lighten up!" Hild muttered.

"We are discussing an important matter," Belldandy said, with determination in her eyes.

_'So Bell won't play. Might as well see what we'll use to decide Keiichi's fate.'_ Hild thought.

Hild then asked "So what shall we use to decide Keiichi's fate?"

"A race?" Bell asked.

Hild thought for a moment.

"Sounds interesting, But I have to pass," Hild said. Belldandy was surprised at Hild's refusal.

"I thought... That you'd at least be willing to try anything for a challenge," Belldandy said.

"Normally yes, I feel a bit choosy today," Hild replied, as she put a hand on her hip.

"Then do you have something in mind?" Belldandy asked. Belldandy's confidence fell a bit when Hild gained a wicked smile.

"I've heard of your Valkyrie License... So I request a fight. A fight to decide Keiichi's soul's fate," Hild said. Hild's smile showed a little bit of her teeth as she said the words.

"I-" Belldandy muttered before Hild put up a finger to shush her.

"Before you continue, do remember that you're missing something. What are you putting up for the possibility of you losing?" Hild asked. _'This oughta be interesting.'_

Belldandy thought for a few minutes. To most, Belldandy kinda looked cute as she pondered. Hild found it to be annoying and stopped smiling.

Before Hild could comment on it, Belldandy spoke.

"I wish to be with Keiichi, even if I lose," Belldandy said.

"Come again?" Hild asked, putting a hand up to her ear to listen better.

"Even if I lose, I want to be with Keiichi," Belldandy answered.

Hild regained her smile.

"So you put yourself up?" Hild asked. Belldandy nodded without any hesitation.

Hild created a contract and handed it to Belldandy. Belldandy looked it over and took her time to do so.

"So it will be a fight between us? We'll both wear enough seals so that our magical power will be equal to each other or close to it?" Belldandy asked as she read some of the conditions.

"It's all in order. I promise no underhanded tricks. You win, you and Keiichi live in Heaven. You lose, And you live with Keiichi in Hell. Neither of you will be tortured," Hild said. When Belldandy looked a bit surprised at her, Hild replied, "I feel _really_ generous. What can I say?"

_'I think she's planning something that I can see at the moment, but if I call her out, I might lose my chance to be with Keiichi,'_ Belldandy thought.

"Could I request that the date of the fight be changed to a week from now? I like to get a few things in order, In case I wind up losing," Belldandy replied.

Hild's smiled faltered a bit, but Hild said, "If you hand me the contract back, I'll make that change in the wording."

Belldandy handed back the paper and Hild looked the paper over for the date of the fight. With a wave of her fingers, the date on the paper was changed to what Belldandy requested. After looking it over once more, Belldandy created a pen and signed the contract. With a slight sigh, she handed it back to Hild.

"Just wait a moment," Hild said as she created a duplicate of the contract and then handed it to Belldandy. "And there's your copy."

Hild and Belldandy then left the area.

-oOoOoOo-

_'A father should never outlive his children...' _Keima thought, as he was riding around on his motorcycle to get some groceries. The ride was also an attempt to somehow ease his pain of losing his son a little. It wasn't helping.

When he stopped at a stop sign, a young woman asked from the sidewalk, "Excuse me, sir! Do you know where the nearest convenience store is?"

Keima pointed to behind himself and said back, "About a block that way and the first left!"

"Thank you!" The young woman said, before she headed off.

When Keima realized what just happened, he shrugged.

_'In a better time, Takano would be pleased that I didn't freak out. Currently, it only serves as a sign that I'm still mourning,'_ Keima thought, as he began to head back home.

-oOoOoOo-

Takano spent most of the last week crying. Keima had done whatever he could to stay by her side during the rough period.

It was only a day ago that Takano had tied a thick rope around a tree and began hitting the tree.

"_Takano, what are you doing?" Keima asked._

"_If I had done more when he was younger, if I had been a bit stricter..." Takano muttered as she finished putting the rope on the tree._

_With a glare aimed at tree, Tanako began hitting the tree._

"_...You're thinking of her when you hit the tree?" Keima asked. Takano stopped and looked at Keima with fury in her eyes._

"_His so-called girlfriend just disappeared after the funeral! What if she or her sisters had something to do with-" Takano said,before Keima quickly ran to her and put his hands on her shoulders._

"_Stop it! There was an investigation and it was found out to be an accident! As for why Belldandy left, She could have been hurting as much as us. Maybe she went back home to be with her parents?" Keima said._

_Takano said nothing and looked down._

"_Look, we have some vacation time coming up. Let's go visit Megumi in a few days," Keima said. "We're a family and Keiichi wouldn't want us torn apart by grief over his death."_

_Takano still said nothing, but she hugged Keima and began to cry._

Takano shook her head to get out of the flashback and went back to punching the tree.

-oOoOoOo-

After returning to Asgard, Belldandy then walked into Tyr's waiting room.

"I'd like to speak with my father, if he's not busy," Belldandy told the secretary angel.

The secretary angel smiled and nodded. She typed for a little bit.

"Enter, Belldandy," Tyr's voice called out.

Belldandy walked and entered Tyr's office.

"Hello, Father. Hello, Lamington. I hope I wasn't interrupting anything," Belldandy said, as she bowed a little.

"Greetings, Belldandy. You weren't interrupting anything. Please sit down." Tyr said, gesturing to a chair.

"Thank you, father," Belldandy said, as she sat down. "What were you and Lamington doing?"

Tyr smiled.

"I was looking through our energy shares and seeing what we could trade for Keiichi. Lamington was helping me," Tyr said.

"There is no need anymore," Belldandy said. Tyr then stopped smiling.

"Why is there no need, my daughter?" Tyr asked. Belldandy put a sheet of paper on Tyr's desk. Tyr picked it up and began reading it. Tyr's eyes grew wide as he said in a sad tone, "Oh... Belldandy..."

"What did you agree to, Belldandy?" Lamington asked, as he faced Belldandy.

"I'm facing Hild in a fight in about one week. No matter what happens, I will be with Keiichi," Belldandy said.

It didn't take long for Lamington to realize the full meaning what Belldandy had said. Lamington then closed his eyes and sighed.

"Make sure that you tell your sisters before the fight," Lamington said.

"...I'm not sure that I should..." Belldandy said.

"How can you expect to face Hild, if you're not willing to face your sisters?" Odin said, as he put the contract down on the desk. Tyr then leaned back and sighed.

"I do not wish to trouble them," Belldandy replied.

"I will be talking with Urd tomorrow. I will ask her about your decision to fight Hild," Lamington said.

"You can't!" Belldandy said, with fear and worry in her eyes.

"Why?" Lamington asked, opening one eye.

"It is my decision!" Belldandy answered, nearing getting off the chair.

"And asking Urd is my decision," Lamington replied, now opening the other eye.

"You can't tell her!" Belldany yelled.

"Belldandy, calm down," Tyr ordered.

Belldandy took a few moments to take a few breaths to calm down.

When he saw that Belldandy had calmed down, Lamington asked, "What reason do you have for me to not tell Urd?"

"She would take it the wrong way and Skuld would blame herself," Belldandy quietly said.

"You sound like you're ready to lose..." Tyr observed.

"I'm not going to lose, but Urd and Skuld would act like I'm going to lose," Belldandy explained.

"Well, Urd would lose her temper and yell at you, and Skuld would cry about the situation, But I think they would support you, once they learn of the terms of the deal," Tyr said, as he pulled out a form and began to fill it out. When he was done, he handed to Belldandy.

"What is it?" Belldandy asked, as she took form and then took the contract off the desk. Tyr then spun his chair around, so that he wasn't facing Belldandy.

"It allows Skuld to be temporarily freed of her punishment, as long as she is with you. Lind, Urd, and Skuld are to help you get ready for your fight with Hild," Tyr said.

"Thank you, father!" Belldandy said, before leaving.

"I'm surprised you accepted the situation and her deal with Hild," Lamington muttered.

"If I refused to accept the situation and then put my foot down, Belldandy would find a way to escape Asgard. It would also make her unprepared for the fight. At least this way, she has a chance, even if it is a slim one," Tyr said with a sigh.

-oOoOoOo-

Author's note on December 13 2013 – Changed the name Odin to Tyr.

On a side note, I do remember that I first wrote this chapter in August of 2012. I remember that because my dad died during that month, so I poured as much of my pain and sorrow in Keima's thoughts. I poured my anger into Takano's actions.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Oh my goddess.

-oOoOoOo-

Urd was in the garden that Lamington cared for, observing a few flowers, when she heard a few foot steps behind her. When she turned around, she was shocked to see Belldandy, Skuld, and Lind.

"Whatcha doing here for?" Urd asked. "And did Father decide to end Skuld's punishment already?"

"For the first question, we could ask you the same thing. For the second, her punishment has been temporarily lifted for a time as long as she stays near Belldandy or myself." Lind explained. She quickly realized that Urd hasn't paying any attention when there wasn't any further questions.

Urd had walked over and hugged Skuld and Belldandy, who were hugged her back.

Lind let the scene go on for a few moments, before clearing her throat to get attention. When that failed. Lind decided to simply say in a loud voice, "ATTEN... TION!"

That shook Belldandy, Urd, and Skuld out of their hugfest.

"We should go to one of the training grounds before Belldandy or I say anything more. I believe that number 45 is currently free." Lind said, before walking off.

"Bell?" "Big sis?" Urd and Skuld said respectively.

"Let's follow to training ground 45." Belldandy said in a quiet voice, before following after Lind.

Urd and Skuld looked at each other before following after Lind and Belldandy.

-oOoOoOo-

Once at the training ground, Urd and Skuld looked at Belldandy with a mix of concern and worry.

"In about a week, I will be going into a contest to decide Keiichi's fate." Belldandy said.

"Whatever it is, I know you'll win, Big Sis!" Skuld cheered.

Urd was about to say something, when she realized a few things.

"What are the terms?" Urd asked, while having a growing feeling of dread.

Belldandy took a deep breath.

"I will be facing off Hild in combat, with our magical strength seal enough, so that we are close in strength." Belldandy answered.

Skuld grew a bit less cheerful before saying, "That's pretty fair..."

"What happens if you wind up losing?" Urd asked, with the feeling of dread growing.

"I will be with Keiichi, no matter the results." Belldandy said.

Skuld covered her mouth in shock, while Urd closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Bell, I have to make sure, does Father know?" Urd asked, holding back the outburst that threatened to come out.

"Yes." Belldandy answered.

Skuld opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to decide what to say.

"Skuld, sometimes you have to take a chance and follow your heart." Belldandy said.

_'At the moment, that sounds like a bullshit reason.'_ Urd thought.

"You two will assist me with Belldandy's training. Skuld, I'll allow you to look at the combat drones and I want you to do your best at creating one that can defeat Belldandy." Lind said.

"B-b-b-but..." Skuld stuttered.

"Belldandy needs to prepare for a fight against an opponent that won't go easy on her. Is it within your abilities to modify a training drone to do that?" Lind asked.

"Maybe... But I'm afraid..." Skuld whispered.

"Of what?" Belldandy asked.

"Of making you look bad." Skuld whispered, as she looked down at the ground.

"Better to look bad during training then in out of it," Lind said.

"I guess so..." Skuld muttered.

"Skuld," Belldandy said, walking over to Skuld. Belldandy then made Skuld look her in the eye "I want you to modify the training drone to be a great challenge to me. I will be proud of you, regardless of if it can beat me or if I can beat it."

Skuld took a deep breath before answering.

"Alright, big sis. I'll give it my best shot," Skuld replied.

"Follow me and we'll head to the training ground controls," Lind said. Skuld followed her.

A few moments of silence passed before Urd lost her patience.

"Hild is up to something. As fair as the deal is, We both know that she's made the situation be one of those things... whatever it is called, that regardless of whether she wins or loses, she walks away with a victory." Urd quickly said, with her voice being a bit louder then she wanted it to.

"As long as we work together, we will win." Belldandy replied, with a look of determination in her eyes.

"I really wish that you had talked to us about this before you made the deal..." Urd muttered, looking off to the side to avoid looking at Belldandy.

"Urd, while I do want us all to work together, I will not force you." Belldandy replied.

"Before I make my decision, I want to know why you didn't tell us that you were going to make the deal." Urd asked, now looking Belldandy in the eye. When Urd saw that Belldandy was going to change the topic, Urd said in a steely tone, "Bell, either tell me the reason, or I walk away."

Belldandy hung her head before quietly muttering, "...I was afraid you'd convince me not to make the deal."

After a few minutes, Urd put her hand on Belldandy's shoulder. When Belldandy looked up, she saw that Urd was smiling, in an effort to cheer Belldandy up.

"Bell, You're too stubborn for that. The only way I could even get you to consider that is if a part of you didn't want to make the deal." Urd said.

"You're... You're not upset?" Belldandy asked.

"I'm upset about you keeping something from me and about you making a deal with Hild that can backfire on you. But that's about it" Urd said. She then began to head to where Lind and Skuld were at. Urd then looked back at Belldandy and said, "But I'm glad that you did something impulsive. Maybe you can use that against Hild?"

Belldandy nodded before following after Urd to meet up with Skuld and Lind in the training ground controls.

-oOoOoOo-

_In Keiichi's room in Hell..._

Keiichi was talking with Marlow when Hild walked in.

"Hello, who are... " Keiichi said, before he noticed the red markings on Hild's face.

"It's me, Hild!" Hild said in a cheerful manner.

"Why do you have red marks on your face?" Keiichi asked as he pointed at the marks.

"It's rude to point, so please stop it," Hild answered. When Keiichi was a bit too slow to bring his hand down, Hild slightly glared, scaring Keiichi into complying. Hild then said, "Thank you."

"Are.. Are you Demons?" Keiichi asked.

"Yes, but we weren't the ones responsible for sending you here." Hild answered, as she sat down on a nearby chair.

"Who did then?" Keiichi asked.

"It was some gods in charge of judging souls. They thought you had somehow charmed Belldandy into being your servant." Hild said.

Keiichi looked down and quietly began to mutter, "I guess I won't see her again."

"Don't be so glum, Keiichi!" Hild said in a cheerful manner.

"What? Are you going to set me up with Marlow?" Keiichi asked.

Hild looked at Marlow with pitying look.

"Honestly, you couldn't stick with using a single letter for a code name, Mara?" Hild asked.

"I panicked and forgot! Please forgive me!" Mara said, as she took off the headgear that hid her red marks on her face.

"Mara?" Keiichi asked, having trouble believing that his guard was Mara.

"Before you act, please remember what she did while you were recovering," Hild asked.

Keiichi thought back to a few events that happened over the last few weeks as he looked down.

-o-o-o

"_Alright, let's get ready to start, "Marlow said, as she helped Keiichi get to the parallel bars that he would hold onto as he tried to walk._

"_Kinda tricky... I know how to walk..." Keiichi muttered, as he slowly began walking and doing his best not to fall._

"_But yer body needs to learn your brain's signals for it." Marlow finished, as she resisted the urge to walk over and help Keiichi._

_More than a few times, Keiichi either fell or came close to it. While he was glad that Marlow's body language let him know that she was worried about him, he was gladder that she was letting him re-learn how to stand on his own two feet without insulting him._

"_This is still better than the dorm and whatever support I get from the Auto Club..." Keiichi muttered to himself. _

"_What did they do?" Marlow asked._

"_If they needed help, I was forced to help. If I needed help, I was told to be a man and do it myself," Keiichi angrily mumbled._

"_Well, you ain't gonna find that type of support around here." Marlow said, almost beaming with pride._

"_Could you – woah- Could you give an example?" Keiichi asked, as he caught himself from falling. _

"_Around here, if you help someone, there's a good chance they'll help you down the line as a favor. If they help you, it'll be expected that you'll help them later on," Marlow said._

_'Huh, guess people are people, no matter where they are...' Keiichi thought, as he continued down the parallel bar._

_-o-o-o_

_Keiichi and Marlow were watching a recording of an race that had occurred in the late 1940's on the tv in his hospital room._

"_Whatta want to eat, Kei-boy? I'm in a real good mood, so whatever it is, I'll get it." Marlow said as she seemed to be jumping in her seat._

"_Well, there's this one corner store in Kushiro that make some nice bread..." Keiichi said, as he laid back down in his bed._

"_Any particular kind?" Marlow asked. Keiichi shook his head. Marlow then vanished for a few minutes before reappearing with some bread._

"_Thanks," Keiichi replied as he began eating._

"_It's nothing. I was given a nice budget, just in case you wanted something bought for yourself," Marlow said, before taking a bite of of her share of the bread. The look of pride told Keiichi that she was enjoying the sense of success of a task completed._

_-o-o-o_

"_So what video games are there in this place?" Keiichi asked._

"_Quite a few, Do you want to play the ones your five senses can comprehend or do you wanna give the ones that require the likes of a fifth dimensional being to play?" Marlow asked, with a sly grin._

"_Eh... Any that are similar to the video games on Earth?" Keiichi asked. _

"_Probably, We might even have a few copies. I'll take a look," Marlow answered, before creating a miniself to go look._

_After a few minutes, the two were playing Super Mario Bros and Super Mario Bros 3 on the Famicom. Due to how even in skill they were, Keiichi thought she was taking it easy on a beginner like himself._

_When she noticed the look on Keiichi, Marlow said, "Just letting you know, I barely have time to play Tetris, much less these."_

"_But I would have thought you'd be like a super expert or something..." Keiichi muttered._

"_Skill takes time and effort, no matter who you are," Marlow replied. "Besides, it's more fun to play with someone else."_

_-o-o-o _

"She's... been a good friend," Keiichi quietly said as he looked up.

"But I-" Mara uttered, before she realized what Keiichi said. She thought to herself, '_I was expecting him to denounce me, hate me, pretty much want me out of his life... But he calls me a good friend...'_

Keiichi looked over at Mara. He was surprised to see her smiling and wiping away a tear. Before he could say, anything, she gave him a hug, but due to the fact he was sitting on a bed, Keiichi got to experience a little bit of marshmallow hell.

"That means a lot, Keiichi." Mara whispered.

Hild was smiling, and congratulated herself for having a device that was recording the audio around her.

_'Should prove useful later on...' _Hild thought to herself

"Well, you two, should I leave the room?" Hild asked with a smirk. When Mara backed away from Keiichi, both of them had an embarrassed, but a slightly glad look on their faces.

"So what now?" Keiichi asked.

"Well, to answer your question, a contest will be held later on this week. No matter who wins, You and Bell will be together." Hild explained. "The only thing that it determines is where you and Bell will live, Heaven or Hell."

Before Keiichi could say anything, Mara quickly said, "Don't forget that it was some jerks in Heaven that sent you here!"

Keiichi was silent for a few moments.

"But I don't want to separate Bell and her family..." Keiichi muttered as he looked back down.

"Noble words, Keiichi. I'll let you tell them to Belldandy just before the fight," Hild said.

"I do have a question. Why haven't I been allowed to send Belldandy a letter or something, or her to me?" Keiichi asked.

"Simple. Have you asked to send a letter?" Hild asked back, as she got up from the chair.

Keiichi thought for a few moments before answering, "No."

"Well, Belldandy is pretty much the same way, in that sense." Hild replied.

"Wait, does this mean you've been talking with her?" Keiichi quickly asked. He was about to get off the bed, but Mara stopped him to prevent Keiichi from hurting himself.

"Yes, I have. What of it?" Hild asked, stopping by the doorway.

"You could have said something earlier!" Keiichi replied, with some growing anger in his voice.

"You never asked, and I make it a bit of a point to not volunteer information about certain beings." Hild said before leaving the room.

It was a few minutes before Keiichi calmed down.

"So... what do you want to do?" Mara asked, hoping to lighten the mood.

"Did you know?" Keiichi asked, while looking straight ahead.

"What, about the stuff that Hild spoke of?" Mara asked, worrying that she might have lost another friend.

"Pretty much," Keiichi answered, as he slowly looked towards Mara.

"I learned it about the same time you did," Mara replied.

Keiichi let out a sigh.

"Well, no sense in getting mad. I'm willing to bet that I'd be in a lot of trouble, if it weren't for Hild," Keiichi muttered.

"Found a copy of Super Mario Kart. Wanna play?" Mara asked, as she held up the cartridge in question.

"Alright, sounds like fun," Keiichi answered, cheering up a little.

-oOoOoOo-

Author's note on December 13 2013 – minor edits.


	7. Fight time!

Disclaimer: I don't own Oh my goddess.

-oOoOoOo-

On a nameless planet, one similar to Earth, two sets of large teleporting seals suddenly appeared. They were separated from each other by about 100 feet.

On the blue teleporting seal, Urd, Skuld, Elsee, Lind, and Belldandy appeared. On the red teleporting seal, Mara, Keiichi and Hild appeared.

"Well, let's go see Bell and the others to have a little chat before I fight her," Hild said, as she watched Belldandy and the others start heading towards them.

Mara nodded, before going by Keiichi's side to make sure that he was walking alright. Even though he didn't need it, she stayed by his side in case he wanted some help walking.

When he almost tripped, she caught him and asking in a almost tenderly tone, "You all right?"

"Y-Yeah... Can't believe I still need to practice walking..." Keiichi muttered.

With a mischievous smirk, Mara asked, "Want me to carry you like a little baby?"

"N-n-no! I'll be alright!" Keiichi quickly answered.

"If you say so..." Mara quietly said as they headed towards the goddesses.

-oOo-

When the two groups met each other between the teleporting seals, Belldandy did all she could to prevent herself from rushing over to Keiichi.

"Hild, is it alright if I could spend some time with Keiichi, before I fight you?" Belldandy asked in an almost pleading manner.

Hild stared at her for a few moments before answering, "As long as neither of you leave my sight."

"Thank you, Hild," Belldandy replied in a cheerful.

"Bell, it's good to-" Keiichi uttered, before Belldandy hugged him in a way that had him experiencing marshmallow hell again.

Belldandy was crying a bit, but she was happy to be near Keiichi again. Urd had a bit of a sad smile as she watched Keiichi start to hug Belldandy back.

Skuld felt the feeling of jealously once more, but wisely decided to let Belldandy and Keiichi have their moment together. She turned to Elsee and said, "So what do you think of him?"

"He seems like a good guy..." Elsee said with a shrug.

_'How Skuld was able to talk Belldandy and Urd into letting Elsee come along, I'll never know. If it was up to me, I'd have said no.'_ Lind thought, as she watched Hild and Mara for any tricks.

After releasing Keiichi, Belldandy said, "After I win, Skuld would like to talk with you."

"Why?" Keiichi asked. There was a few seconds of silence.

"... I cannot say." Belldandy answered. "You'll have to speak with her. I'll be there when you two speak to each other."

Keiichi contemplated for a bit.

"Alright, Bell." Keiichi replied.

"Thank you, Keiichi." Belldandy said.

Hild looked on the couple with mild amusement, while she crossed her arms.

_'A few more seconds and then I'll ask if we should start the fight,' _Hild thought.

Mara held back a glare. Somehow, Seeing Keiichi with Belldandy made Mara a bit more angry at Belldandy.

_'Why am I feeling like this? Keiichi is some ordinary human. I can't possibly be having feeling for a human!' _Mara thought. She frowned when another thought occurred to her. _'Or is it the feeling that Belldandy is taking away another friend of mine? Like she did with Urd?'_

Hild then made a coughing noise. When everyone stared at her, Hild said, "Shall we start? Or do you want a bit more time?"

Belldandy and Keiichi looked at each other for a few seconds, before Belldandy faced Hild and said,"I'm ready."

"Well, let's let the others go back to the teleporting seals and wait for the confirmation noise," Hild said.

Lind, Skuld, Elsee, and Urd headed back to the blue teleporting seal. Mara and Keiichi headed back to the red teleporting seal.

"What did Hild mean by confirmation noise?" Keiichi asked.

"When we're be out of phase from Belldandy and Hild, an alarm-like noise will ring out and let them know they can start. We'll pretty much be safe from any attacks that Hild or Bell will be throwing around." Mara answered.

"Oh, Okay..." Keiichi muttered.

-oOo-

Belldandy got into a defensive stance, while Hild uncrossed her arms and merely stood.

When a 'Brwong' noise was heard, Belldandy fought the urge to rush over and attack Hild.

A few seconds passed by before Hild said, "Well, Bell? Are we going to be here all day?"

Belldandy didn't reply, but her face showed a bit more determination. Hild closed her eyes and shook her head.

"Guess that I make the opening move..." Hild muttered as she opened her eyes. She floated up in the air a little before immediately flying ay Belldandy, apparently intending to clothesline Belldandy. Belldandy quickly charged up a light-green swirling ball of wind magic.

Belldandy ducked Hild's arm. After Hild passed by, Belldandy threw the ball at Hild's back.

When the ball harmlessly passed through Hild's back,, Belldandy gained a surprised expression on her face when Hild became transparent.

"An illus-"Belldandy said before she got interrupted when Hild appeared behind Belldandy and quickly threw a ball of electricity at Belldandy's back. When it hit, Belldandy shouted in pain before falling to her knees in pain.

Belldandy then quickly flew forward, intending to get some distance between her and Hild. When Belldandy looked back, she was surprised to see Hild above her, only inches away.

"I give you an A for effort..." Hild said, before grabbing the back of Belldandy's head and shoving Belldandy's face into the ground and continuing to fly forward.

-oOo-

Keiichi and everyone else grimaced while Hild continued to drive Belldandy through the ground.

"C'mon, Bell... Don't let her win..." Keiichi whispered to himself. Urd and Skuld were doing the same. Mara, Lind, and Elsee were looking on impassively.

-oOo-

Belldandy then curled her hands into fists and began making the air around them glow a little.

Hild smirked a little before letting go of Belldandy's head. But it was too late, as the air exploded, knocking Hild into the air about twenty feet.

"Been awhile since I've been on the receiving end of an explosive wave attack," Hild muttered as she watched Belldandy get up and start running forwards. Hild then thought, _'She recovered a bit too quickly...'_

Hild dashed towards Belldandy, but Belldandy shot at the ground with a bolt of energy, causing a cloud of dirt to fly up. Hild stopped in midair and backed away a little. She was unable to see Belldandy through the cloud of dirt.

After waiting a few seconds, Hild quickly realized that the cloud of dirt was growing, but there was no sound of a spell being fired off.

"My, my! You know how to dualcast! A quick recovery spell and a explosive wave attack, and then a fog spell within a magic missile spell... Guess I gotta up the ante..." Hild said, before putting her left arm back a little. Withing a few seconds, light blue energy gathered in her left hand. Then Hild threw her left arm forwards, yelling, "Wind blast!"

A ten foot diameter wind tunnel came from Hild's palm, blowing away the dirt cloud. When Belldandy was nowhere to be seen, Hild looked around.

"Come out, come out, come out wherever you are..." Hild said in a sing-song tone. Hild slowly floated over the ground, circling a good distance where she had last saw Belldandy.

After a few seconds, Hild started to grow annoyed. She began growling a tiny bit. Charging up some more wind energy in her hands, Hild then began throwing it at random spots, creating trenches due to how strong her wind blast spells were.

After about a minute of Hild throwing wind blasts about, She then floated down and let her feet touch the ground. The very second Hild's feet came into contact with the dirt, Belldandy's hands burst out of the ground and dragged Hild underground.

Just before she was dragged under the ground, Hild yelled, "What the?!"

-oOo-

"Huh... A bit of a bad start, but now Big Sis is turning the match around," Skuld said with a smile towards Urd.

"Maybe, but Hild's quite vain and Bell just put a lot of dirt into Hild's hair," Urd said, looking a bit nervous. "So I hope Bell has a good plan, 'cause Hild's gonna be madder than a wet hornet."

Skuld then grimaced for a moment before putting a bit of a forced smile on her face.

"Big Sis will win, that we can count on," Skuld said, hoping to lighten the mood.

Urd nodded a little little, paying more attention to the fight.

-oOo-

"So what's happening now?" Keiichi asked.

"Dunno. Your guess is as good as mine," Mara replied.

-oOo-

Seconds passe, with only faint rumbling could be heard.

Then one big rumble came from the ground, even causing a slight earthquake.

Then the ground exploded, with a furious Hild flying out of the ground, leaving a small hole where she burst out of. She gripped Belldandy's right wrist. Belldandy was trying to break away, but was failing. Hild stopped about thirty feet above ground when she stopped in midair. She then quickly lifted Belldandy until they could stare each other in the face.

"You damn bitch! How dare you!" Hild roared in Belldandy's face.

"What's the saying? 'Don't fight unless you're willing to get a little dirty'?" Belldandy said, before blasting Hild in the stomach with a wind blast magic missile.

To Belldandy's fear, Hild didn't show any reaction to the attack, other than growling a little bit more.

Hild then released Belldandy's wrist, then Hild quickly grabbed Belldandy's head and began swinging around. After a few seconds, Hild released Belldandy, aiming her at the ground. Belldandy did her best to try to stop in midair, but all she succeeded was slowing down a bit. When Belldandy hit the ground, She left a 15 feet dirt trail when she was dragging along the ground.

"Ohh..." Belldandy uttered as she was getting up. When she remembered that she was in a fight, Belldandy quickly charged up a multiple wind blast magic missiles spell and flung it behind her.

Hearing nothing but the magic missiles hitting the ground behind her, Belldandy quickly got up and used a quick healing spell. When she turned around, she was greeted with a wind blast magic missile to the face and was flung back ten feet.

"Do watch where you throw things. You never know who might return them..." Hild said, as she held one of the magic missiles that Belldandy had created.

"Was that an insult? I've heard better from Mara," Belldandy replied, as she felt her face for any injuries.

Hild smirked as she seemed hug herself. She then vanished from sight.

Belldandy defensively crossed her arms and quickly put up a shield spell that surrounded her. The aftereffects of several impacts quickly were seen all about the shield spell.

Belldandy smirked when she saw the Shield spell start cracking. When she uncrossed her arms, The energy that made up the shield spell then exploded outward, magnified by the amount of times Hild had hit the shield.

Hild became visible and was knocked back 20 feet away from Belldandy. While Hild was a bit disoriented, Belldandy charged up a special lighting spell and fired it at Hild. Hild cried out in pain as she quickly learned it was a multi-stage lighting spell, designed to cause as much pain as possible.

When it ended, Belldandy hit the ground with a glowing fist. A pit quickly opened up under Hild. When Hild dropped in, the pit then closed and Belldandy flew into the air. Once she was a few stories up in the air, she faced downward and used a shield spell that only protected herself from the direction of the ground.

Seconds passed and nothing happened, making everyone worry.

A loud bang was heard and a cloud of dirt came out of ground where Hild had been buried. Belldandy jumped back a little bit when something hit her shield spell, but didn't see anything. When she heard something else hit her shield spell, she quickly prepared herself if something hit her shield again. When she heard the sound of something else hit the shield spell again, she saw that it was a rock that was being flung at high speeds.

Belldandy smiled a little as she thought, _'A rock? How childish...'_

Then a large volley of small rocks began hitting her shield.

"Really, Hild? Rocks and pebbles?" Belldandy shouted?

"Then how about an Double Axe Hammer?" Hild's voice said from behind Belldandy.

As Belldandy started to turn, Hild hit Belldandy's back with her clutched hand with enough force to send the goddess into the ground. There was enough force to create a crater and a large cloud of dirt.

A weak, but fast blast of magic came from the cloud. Hild tried to dodge it, but it was a proximity attack. It exploded, but Hild felt no offense energy in it. She pondered what it did, until a few strands of her hair came down. Hild growled as she realized that Belldandy used a cosmetic spell that turned Hild's hair into rainbow colors. Each strand of hair was a different color, making Hild's hair a cosmetic nightmare. Glaring down in the direction at the crater, Hild then made her hands glow.

_'That's it! Time to punish this bitch with an explosive punch!'_ Hild thought as she flew towards towards the crater.

At the same time, Belldandy charged up a short range explosion spell and aimed it where she thought Hild was coming it. Belldandy thought with a smirk, _'I hope I can hit her before she can hit me. If she's anything like Urd, she'll be vain enough to avenge her hair.' _

Slightly after Hild entered the cloud, there was an loud explosion and Hild was seen being flung backwards from the cloud and bounced off the ground a few times. When she finally stopped, she looked like she was partially covered in soot.

To the goddesses displeasure, Hild stood back up and began brushing off the dirt and the soot from the explosion. As she began using a restoration spell to repair her clothes and for a bit of light healing, She muttered to herself with a touch of amusement, "My oh my... I have to hand it to you, Bell, You actually made me lose control for a little bit... Several times in such a short period... "

Sensing something, Hild quickly stepped to the side and ducked, narrowly avoiding Belldandy, who was using an shield spell that was altered for ramming. Before Belldandy could stop or turn around, Hild threw an fireball grenade spell at Belldandy's back. Hild grinned as she heard Bell shriek and fall down.

Hild then took a good look at Belldandy. Belldandy still had the injuries from both Hild's explosive punch spell and from her own explosion spell. Hild's grin turned into a smirk as she saw Belldandy slowly get up.

"I... I... won't lose... Belldandy muttered, as she got up off her knees. She was a bit shocked to see Hild standby her by not doing anything.

"Ready for round two?" Hild asked as she had her fists up and was hopping side-to-side, waiting for Belldandy to finish standing up.

Belldandy's response was thrusting her palms forward and yelling, "Holy Wind Press!"

Hild crossed her arms to block it, but there was enough magic energy in Belldandy's attack to send Hild back thirty feet, creating two small, shallow trenches at Hild's feet as they were dragged along the ground. Hild started to open her mouth to say something, but saw Belldandy charge at her with her staff out and ready to attack. Hild's response was to bring out her polehammer. Hild's polehammer was actually pretty simple looking, but the air around it seemed like there was something wild about it, like it wanted to smash and destroy everything around it. There was also a small marking at the hammerhead that signified it as Hild's. The marking looked like an drawing of a smiling Chibi-Hild's head.

Hild managed to block Belldandy's attempt to trip her and Hild immediacy took aim at Belldandy's head with a swing. Belldandy was somehow able to avoid the attack by both stepping off to the side and using the blocked part of her staff to alter the trajectory of the Polehammer's attack.

"Well, not as fun as what we did before... I do have something to say to you, Bell, so listen and listen well..." Hild said. Belldandy looked wary, but did not attack. "Boot to the head."

A boot came flying out of nowhere and hit Belldandy on the side of her head, knocking her over.

"What was that?" Belldandy asked as she began to get up.

"Boot to the head," Hild repeated, as she decided to simply stand. Another boot hit Belldandy. Unlike the first one, Belldandy was able to quickly recover before she hit the ground.

"I see... Boot to the head!" Belldandy quickly said. A boot appeared out of nowhere and flew at Hild's head, but the Daimakaichō bowed forward a bit and avoided it.

"You missed. Boot to the head," Hild said. A third boot flew at Belldandy head, but the goddess was able to knock it away with her staff. With a tiny bit of mocking laughter,"It only took you three times to learn how to block it. You're almost as good as Mara!"

Belldandy's reply was to use her staff to thrust at Hild. The Daimakaichō used her polehammer to deflect the thrust and then tried to hit Belldandy with the hammerhead. Belldandy had quickly ceased her attack and quickly block Hild's attack.

"Mara has nothing on me," Belldandy replied.

"Really? Both you and her are quite competitive, tend to use anything and everything at hand to win... and the both of you think quite a bit of Keiichi..." Hild said with an evil grin, as she and Belldandy stepped away from each other.

"So she's tried a few times to separate Keiichi and I because you ordered her to. That's the only reason she even thinks of him," Belldandy remarked, before tapping the ground a few times with her staff. Some dirt clumps shot from the ground at Hild.

"Do you recall how she acted around him a little while ago?" Hild asked, as she tapped the ground once to create a weak shield to block the dirt clumps.

Belldandy quickly reviewed her memories of just before the match. Mara seemed worried over Keiichi, like she cared for him.

Shoving down the feelings of jealously, Belldandy said, "I'm glad they've become friends."

"Right... Go on thinking that..." Hild muttered in a bit of a sarcastic way.

"What are you implying?" Belldandy asked, not liking Hild's tone.

"I'll put it this way: if the Daitenkaicho had said no to your request and prevented you from leaving Heaven, there would have been a good chance Mara and Keiichi might have become an item," Hild said. Belldandy straightened up in shock and Hild enjoyed the horrified look on the goddess's face. It didn't take long before Belldandy went back on the assault.

"You lie!" Belldandy loudly declared as she came at Hild with an overhead strike.

"Why lie about that? They would make for a cute couple. Both are underdogs that refuse to give up and put their all in whatever task they have. Both tend to be thought as losers by others, even ones they consider friends," Hild said as she stepped to the side, letting Belldandy harmlessly strike the ground.

Before Belldandy could recover, Hild hit Belldandy in her side with the polehammer. Belldandy grimaced a bit, but quickly used a spell on her staff. She then drew a half-circle in the dirt with her staff and then the dirt around the half-circle rose up, creating a weak wall. Hild jumped back and threw a wind blast magic missile at the wall, making the dirt wall implode. Belldandy was nowhere to be seen.

"This again? Try to be a bit more imaginative, Bell..." Hild muttered. Hearing a slight rumble behind her, Hild spun around and used a shield spell to block any attack from the ground.

Nothing... happened. Nor did anything happen for about a minute or two.

_'I'm only a bit winded from all my spells...' _Hild thought, as she floated up in the air a little bit more, adjusting her shield spell to better protect her.

More time passed with nothing happening.

_'Where could she-'_ Hild thought as she looked around, freezing in place once she saw Belldandy a few feet right behind her. The goddess had been holding a glowing ball of energy before she threw it at Hild. Hild was quickly able to tell that it had been collected from the planet, it had been molded to explode on contact, but it had been carefully been made to only knock out whoever was in the blast radius. When the energy bomb was just about to be at equal distance between the goddess and the Daimakaichō, Hild threw an energy blast at it before she and Belldandy put up their shields, both knowing that whoever had the weaker shield would lose.

-oOo-

Mara, Keiichi, Lind, Urd, Skuld, and Elsee watched as a large cloud of smoke hid both Belldandy and Hild.

After a few seconds, someone walked out of the cloud, carrying their unconscious opponent.

-oOoOoOo-

Author's note on December 13 2013– The cliffhanger was planned from the start. I started to hate writing this chapter when I realized that it took me roughly a year to write it.

I'll post an epilogue for both a Belldandy wins ending and a Hild wins ending in the future. Don't worry. It won't take as long as this chapter did.

I made minor corrections to earlier chapters. Nothing too drastic. The biggest one was changing the instances of Odin to Tyr.


	8. Epilogue A - Hild wins

Disclaimer: I don't own Oh my goddess.

2nd Disclaimer: I promised two epilogues. One where Hild wins and one where Belldandy wins. Here is the Hild one.

-oOoOoOo-

Tyr looked away from his terminal to glance at a family photo and sighed. After Hild won a few months ago, a number of gods and goddesses started to lose faith in his ability to lead. In their opinion, any leader who allows one of their underlings to bet their freedom in a fight, isn't much of a leader.

To Tyr, it wasn't hard to disagree with that opinion.

But then again, when she had her mind set on something, not even Tyr could change Belldandy's mind. So he chose what seemed to be a good choice. Support Belldandy and allow her to train.

Tyr looked back at his terminal. Belldandy was still a goddess. Skuld had gone missing and no one had been able to find her. Even though Urd had initially suspected her (and still did), a goddess named Elsee spent days crying about how she missed Skuld. For some unknown reason, Skuld still had a connection with Yggdrasil, but no one was able to use it to find her. A few gods and goddesses blamed Urd for that. Tyr knew that Urd wasn't responsible. In fact, she spent the most time out of everyone, both looking for Skuld and trying to find a way to get Belldandy and Keiichi out from Hild's grasp.

Tyr leaned back in his chair as he thought about his oldest daughter. More than a few of his advisers had been 'suggesting' that Urd be suspended from her duties as Heaven's System Administrator and undergo review, claiming that she might not be able to focus on her duties as much as before, due to Belldandy's situation. Tyr knew damn well that they meant that they thought Urd was on her way to run over to Hell to join Belldandy and perhaps Skuld, if the latter was there as he thought.

Tyr opened a drawer and pulled out a framed picture of Hild. In the picture, she was winking at the camera, while giving a victory handsign. He had placed it there because he couldn't look at it after Hild had defeated Belldandy. Even now, all he could do when looking at it was glare at it.

"You never go anywhere without a plan. I wonder what you would have done had Belldandy won?" Tyr asked the picture, as if he expected an answer.

He had a bit of an idea. Keiichi had been given a new body from Hild. Due to her skill with traps and plans, there was no way of knowing what traps Hild might have placed in it, even if the best detectors went over it for years. Keiichi would have been seen as a disaster waiting to happen. There would have been a number of petitions to send him back to Hild before anything happened. And with how unpredictable Hild is, there was a good chance she might have not placed any traps, knowing that Keiichi would receive a large amount of hate and distrust. Perhaps enough so that Belldandy might have considered leaving Heaven for Hell with Keiichi. And if not, Hild would use Keiichi's discomfort in Heaven to use as a personal attack against Tyr in any non-business meeting.

Tyr placed the framed photo back and locked the drawer.

He looked over the recent batch of memos.

_'More of those damn suggestions. Don't they understand that Urd's loyal to the core? She loves her family, but she's not going to fall into Hild's hands just to be with her sisters. She's going to fight to the bitter end to get them back and away from Hild,'_ Tyr thought, as he began to delete the suggestions.

Sadly, a number of Urd's friends were starting to distance themselves from her. They offered support, but only when no one was looking. They had a habit of vanishing when a certain amount of people were around Urd. Some, Urd stopped seeing as friends. Others, either had some skill that was too valuable to Urd, or Urd was willing to overlook their lack of public support for some reason.

Belldandy had sent letters for a month, but had stopped. Every day, Tyr worried about it. Hild said that she had no idea why Belldandy stopped sending letters. From what he knew of Hild's body language, she was telling the truth, but at the same time, made no effort to find it out.

According to Yggdrasil, Belldandy was still a goddess. Tyr feared the day when that might no longer be.

To prevent a similar situation from happening, Tyr wanted to order that no god or goddess would grant a wish that had them live with a human. But he didn't for political reasons. Several branches of Gods and Goddesses would cease their alliance with him. The Greek and Roman branches, the Mesopotamian branch, and various others who sometimes still went down to Earth. They might not have any interest at the moment in having another physical relationship with human, but they would not like the option taken away.

Anzasu had been getting colder and colder to him. She didn't not take the idea of Belldandy going to Hell well. She yelled and screamed at him. His response was that he was the Daitenkaicho and that Belldandy was an adult who could make her own decisions.

Tyr figured that their marriage wasn't going to last a year after saying that.

"I wonder... Was destroying my relationship with my family a part of your scheme or its goal, Hild?" Try muttered before getting back to work.

-oOoOoOo-

Author's note - I'm working on the Belldandy wins epilogue at the moment.


	9. Epilogue b - Belldandy wins

Disclaimer: I don't own Oh my goddess.

2nd Disclaimer: I promised two epilogues. One where Hild wins and one where Belldandy wins. Here is the Belldandy one.

-oOoOoOo-

After sending off the latest batch of requests that she either approved or denied, Hild leaned back in her chair.

While she may have lost against Belldandy, no demon tried to take advantage of the situation. Either they were loyal to Hild to a fault, they assumed that Hild was scheming something that would involved losing, or they didn't want to risk Hild taking her rage at losing against them.

_'I wonder how long before-' _Hild thought before a buzz let her know that her secretary had someone that wanted to see her. "Who is it?"

"_Mara. She wants to speak with you,"_ The secretary replied.

"Send her in," Hild said, as she sat up. It wasn't long before Mara walked in. Hild gestured to the chair in front of Hild's desk and Mara then sat down. Seeing that Mara was upset, Hild asked."So what brings you here? I thought you'd be enjoying your free time for your work with Morisato?"

Mara sighed as she looked towards the ground.

"You think so, but I find myself missing the wimp," Mara muttered. Hild smiled.

"Ah, so you see what Belldandy sees in him," Hild commented. Mara looked up with anger on her face.

"I do not see what Belldandy sees in him!" Mara loudly declared. Hild chuckled a bit.

"Now, now... Acting like a Tsundere doesn't fit you. You should be more honest with how you feel," Hild said. When Mara opened her mouth to reply, she noticed that Hild's eyes were dancing with delight, hoping to have reason to punish Mara for any slight.

"W-whatever. I also have a question," Mara said, trying to hide her nervousness.

"No, I won't be your maid of honor for your marriage to Morisato. I can marry the two of you, if you want," Hild said with a chuckle. Mara seemed to lose her fear and glared at Hild.

"Will you be serious?!" Mara demanded, resisting the urge to slam her hands down on Hild's desk. As angry as she may be, Mara knew better than to risk angering Hild like that. "Why did you lose against Belldandy?"

"Oh, that. It was merely random chance. I was dominating most of the fight, but I guess I shouldn't have used a spell to increase my speed at the cost of defense when Belldandy put of a shield spell. Ah well, I still get what I want, it just will happen later than I wanted," Hild replied as she seemed to lose her smirk as she leaned back in her chair.

"What might that be?" Mara asked.

"Urd, of course. If I had won, then having Belldandy and Morisato in my clutches would eventually cause Urd to come here, either to rescue them or to join them. If Urd tried to rescue them, then I would be in my right to catch and imprison her. Then I would make the offer for her to join me or be sent back to Heaven," Hild answered.

"Ans if she had chosen to be sent back?" Mara asked.

"Then I would wait for her to try again. She never would give on up family," Hild replied.

Mara leaned back in her chair. Privately, Mara thought it was a dumb plan, but she wasn't going to tell that to Hild.

"So what now?" Mara asked.

"Simple. Due to his current body was made here, the body would slowly revert to a demon's. As he becomes more of demon in body, he would face Heaven's discrimination against us. Being so close to Belldandy would both drive off quite a bit of it, and would also make what remains so much worse," Hild answered.

"Wouldn't that make Urd hate you more? And wouldn't Belldandy claim that you broke you end of the deal when you said no underhanded tricks?" Mara asked. She shrunk back a bit when Hild glowered at her.

"I was referring to the fight when I said no underhanded tricks. And if she does claim that I went back on our deal, then I would ask to be be more specific next time she makes a deal with our side. As for Urd... Yes, she would hate me more for a time, but seeing Morisato undergo the discrimination that she was protected from because she was the daughter of Tyr would cause her to have second thoughts about being a goddess," Hild replied, as she began to calm down.

"So what then?" Mara asked.

"I would wait until Belldandy sends a request to turn back time to undo Morisato's death. I would accept, but only if she were to make some concessions, like that Morisato remain a demon, among other things," Hild replied as she looked at a framed picture on her desk. It was taken back when Urd was about three years old. She and Hild had a fun day at a park. In fact, the day the picture was taken was also the same day that Mara became friends with Urd.

"And what if she never sends a request? " Mara asked. Hild rubbed her chin for a second to look like she never thought about it.

"Then I send a letter asking if she wants to give Morisato back his life. Due to him slowly becoming a demon, him going back in time and any time travel that effects him now falls under my jurisdiction," Hild said with a smirk. "After all, stuff like that is outlined in the treaty with Heaven."

"So what prevents him from siding with Heaven to bypass that?" Mara asked.

"Someone, probably either Tyr or Anzasu since Urd and her sisters would be too emotionally involved to remember, would point out that the time he had demon blood running though his veins would be all that stands in his way to getting his old life back. I would prevent anyone from removing it from the timeline..." Hild answered with a sinister smile

"... Unless Belldandy or Urd makes some concessions," Mara finished. Out of the blue, she recalled something important."So what about the matters with the judgment gate? That's going to come up sooner or later."

"In any event, I'd offer to let Belldandy become a demon to avoid having to go through the gate. She lost him once and that will stay on her mind. So then the whole thing reverts back to if I had won," Hild explained in a bit of a bored fashion.

"And what if, just what if, Belldandy and Morisato decide to refuse your offers and somehow manage to pass through the gate?" Mara asked. She them cringed, as if expecting Hild to punish her for suggesting that. When nothing happened, Mara opened one eye and glanced at Hild.

Hild seemed... saddened at the thought.

"Then it means that Tyr was wrong about demons and gods. Why else would he try to split Urd into two? I never would have done that if I had the opportunity. Put a devil into her and let her demon side consume her divine side, yes, but there always is a way to undo it. I'd just have to dig deep inside her and give more strength to the goddess side, " Hild said, as she turned her chair to face away from Mara. "But then I'd have to deal with a Belldandy-ish Urd until her demonhalf and goddess half even out, and that'd be a very annoying week."

Mara pondered about how a Belldandy-ish Urd would act. Mara shivered at the thought of Urd sitting in a field, surrounded by various small animals as she sang to them.

"That's a disturbing thought, Lady Hild," Mara said.

"Yes, yes it is," Hild said,waving her pointer finger in Mara's view. "But if that thought still bothers you, then force yourself to think about this little fact; there's also one element remains in both scenarios. As an artificial demon, Morisato will live as long as us. So no matter the situation, no matter if they hate us or not, Belldandy and Urd will be thankful for me for that."

"And your point? Mara asked, not seeing what Hild was trying to build up to.

"Every second of every day from now on, Urd, Morisato, and Belldandy will know deep down inside that I had a major hand in their happiness, and that Heaven had a major hand in their temporary, but major despair," Hild explained.

After taking a deep breath, Mara replied with, "All thing considered, that doesn't seem much to be proud of."

"A bruised ego now can lead to victory later," Hild replied as she spun her chair around to look Mara in the eyes. Hild had a smirk on her face. "Besides, Morisato and Urd will both realize that Heaven isn't as great as Belldandy and Tyr try to make it out to be."

"Lady Hild, what if Morisato tries to become a god, to end whatever discrimination you're thinking about?" Mara asked. Hild smirk now showed some teeth.

"Belldandy loves Morisato. A lot. Enough so that, combined with her goal of collecting licenses, she would attain the ones needed to performing a surgery on Morisato. So she would learn that because Morisato's mind is a fourth dimensional one, that his demon body has had certain properties built into it that prevent him from going insane from seeing six more dimensions, kind of like Giygas in Mother 2 or Earthbound when the Devil machine is turned off. So Belldandy would prevent him from getting the surgeries because the chances of getting the Morisato she wants as a god, even with the Ultimate force's help because a part of Morisato will always be considered an earthly matter, would be extremely low," Hild explained.

"How low are we talking about?" Mara asked. And with a touch of anger, "And did you go through my stash of games?"

"Yes, but I don't know why you decided to get both the Japanese and English versions of the same game. As for the chances, low enough that even Belldandy would rather see Morisato in your grasp than risk losing him the operating table, because even a moment with those special properties disconnected from him would drive him mad," Hild said. "There's also another thing that Belldandy would have to consider. Morisato is also bound to Hell's system, but not in the way that a real demon is bound to it. He's dependent on it to the point where cutting him off would be far more dangerous for him than for you. You can depend on your recharge medium of apples until either you connect to Yggdrasil or Nidhogg to avoid going into a stasis coma. He'd simply cease to be if he was just cut off," Hild explained. She didn't like the looks of horror on Mara's face.

"You... You... wouldn't do that to Keiichi, just to spite Tyr and Belldandy!" Mara explained, pointing at Hild. Hild lost her smirk and replaced it with a severely annoyed glare.

"There several reasons why I would not do such a thing. One- it would effect our relationship with Heaven. Two- I don't need a vengeance-seeking Belldandy forever going after me. Two- You and Urd seem quite taken with Morisato. Three – I still have plans that require him," Hild quickly replied in a tone that only had a touch of anger. She then calmed down and smiled when she saw that Mara was angry instead of cowering in fear.

"I am not taken with that wimp!" Mara loudly declared.

"Then why call him Keiichi just now when we've been referring to him as Morisato in this conversation?" Hild asked. She enjoyed the growing bush on Mara's face.

"Be-because You had just been talking about killing him!" Mara quickly replied in a nervous tone.

"Only because Belldandy or someone else in Heaven would be thinking that I would do that. But I won't, because of the reasons I've stated," Hild said. "Now shoo. Off with you, or I'll pull up a computer program that can show you what your kids with Keiichi would look like."

Hild chuckled as she watched Mara run out of the room.

-oOoOoOo-

Author's note – I thank the members of the Goddess Relief Office forums, especially vanagandr, for helping me with the batte chapter and the two epilogues. And a big thanks to ceroxon for asking me to complete this fic.

Also, if SimmyC is reading this, I realize your fic had a large influence on mine. So readers, go read some of their fics if you got the time.

As far as I know, Demon's don't have a recharge medium. But if they did, I'd like to imagine apples being Mara's, simply because in some stories, they're a symbol of temptation.

Now to answer Deathmvp's question of which epilogue I like better.

It's the Hild wins one because there is so many unanswered questions. How is Hild treating Belldandy and Keiichi? What happened to Skuld? Is Elsee a spy for Hild?

I don't know. Were I write a sequel to that epilogue, We all would find out.

But were I write a sequel to this epilogue, we'd get to read about time being rewound a bit to the accident where Keiichi was killed, but the accident would be averted, but Keiichi would be a demon. Then again, the same might happen for the other epilogue, but that probably would involve less conditions for Belldandy.

The questions I have for that sequel are : Would Keiichi be able to find a way to increase Hell's shares without losing his kindness? How would Mara act, now that she's gained a crush on Keiichi?

True, she doesn't care for him in canon, but in this story, she spent time with him and got to see what Belldandy saw.

Huh... Am I becoming a Mara/Keiichi shipper? Who knows?

Now to thank the watchers of my story

2remember, 55795480, AJ Katon, Alcatras, Buster922, ChaosSerpent13, Davey13, Deathmvp, Devil-in-your-nose, Devil Reader, Devon Ship'em, Fire Bird 2, FreaKill, GryffinsEye, IdiAmeanDada, Lord Sake, RDT64, Ronelin, TFahey2, XANAVirus, chaosrin, entyMAGG, mnementh2000, sgayle51, and x102reddragon

Now I thank the people that favorited my story

Buster922, ChaosSerpent13, Davey13, Deathmvp, Devil Reader, Fox Boss, IdiAmeanDada, Lord Mortensen, NavySEAL4, Revan Namikaze, Warpwind, XANAVirus, genecis, x102reddragon

And I thank omegaarchive for putting this fic in their selftitled community.

And Now I can go back to work on my what-if fic. Hurray!


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